Researchers have found evidence that algae and other microorganisms catalyze the hydrolysis of polyphosphates. Even in the absence of biological activity, polyphosphates hydrolyze chemically at a significant rate in water. Therefore, there is much
less concern about the possibility of polyphosphates binding to heavy metal ions and transporting them than is the case with organic chelating agents such as NTA or EDTA, which must depend upon microbial degradation for their decomposition