Dear Karthika,

The answer is YES.

EDTA was first described in 1935 by Ferdinand Münz, who prepared the compound from ethylenediamine and chloroacetic acid. Today, EDTA is mainly synthesised from ethylenediamine (1,2-diaminoethane), formaldehyde, and sodium cyanide. This route yields the sodium salt, which can be converted in a subsequent step into the acid forms:

H2NCH2CH2NH2 + 4 CH2O + 4 NaCN + 4 H2O → (NaO2CCH2)2NCH2CH2N(CH2CO2Na)2 + 4 NH3

(NaO2CCH2)2NCH2CH2N(CH2CO2Na)2 + 4 HCl → (HO2CCH2)2NCH2CH2N(CH2CO2H)2 + 4 NaCl

This process is used to produce about 80 thousand tonnes each year. Impurities cogenerated by this route include glycine and nitrilotriacetic acid; they arise from reactions of the ammonia coproduct.

Therefore, if you have ethylenedamine and chloroacetic acid as waste they can react together to give EDTA.

Alternatively, ethylenediamine, formaldehyde and sodium cyanide if are in the waste together they can furnish EDTA in some certain conditions.

To conclude, if the compounds listed above are found in wastewater ,they can react among themselves to provide EDTA if the conditions of the wastewater are adequate for executing such kind of reactions.

Hoping this will be helpful,

Rafik

Hello, if you are interested also in Dr. Münz's biography I can suggest my article about him, recently published on the ACS Bulletin for the History of Chemistry. He was also author of many patents in the textile field, whose trademarks still exist today. He has been virtually unknown to the history of science because of persecution for his Jewish origins and his tragic personal issues.

Full reference: Ferdinand Münz: EDTA and 40 years of inventions, Matteo Paolieri, Bull. Hist. Chem., 42(2), 2017, 133-140.

EDTA can be prepared from ethylenediamine and chloroacetic acid in alkaline solution, or from ethylenediamine, sodium cyanide, formaldehyde aqueous solution.