Influence of disodium EDTA on the nucleation and growth of struvite and carbonate apatite

•Disodium EDTA decreases the growth efficiency of carbonate apatite and struvite.•Disodium EDTA reduces the mass of carbonate apatite and struvite forming in urine.•Appropriate dose of disodium EDTA prevents carbonate apatite and struvite formation.•The unwanted dendrites are not observed in the presence of disodium EDTA.

The effect of disodium EDTA, as an additive, on the crystallization of struvite and carbonate apatite was studied. The growth of struvite crystals and carbonate apatite occurred in the solution of artificial urine at 37 °C and at the condition emulating real urinary tract infection. The results demonstrate that the addition of disodium EDTA increases the induction time and decreases the growth efficiency compared to the baseline (without disodium EDTA). The struvite crystal mean and median diameters were found to decrease in the presence of disodium EDTA but the crystal morphology and habit remain almost unchanged. Disodium EDTA has demonstrated its potential to be further investigated in the presence of bacteria and in vivo conditions.