Impact of soil treatment with Nitrilo Triacetic Acid (NTA) on Cd fractionation and microbial biomass in cultivated and uncultivated calcareous soil.

The use of NTA, especially in calcareous soils, where most of the Cd is bound to calcium carbonate, was able to successfully convert insoluble fractions of Cd into soluble forms and increase the removal efficiency of Cd in the phytoremediation method. NTA is a non-toxic chelating agent to improve the accumulation of Cd in maize.