Editing Aluminium (section)

==Environmental effects==
[[File:Luftaufnahmen Nordseekueste 2012-05-by-RaBoe-478.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|"[[Bauxite tailings]]" storage facility in [[Stade]], Germany. The aluminium industry generates about 70 million tons of this waste annually.]]
High levels of aluminium occur near mining sites; small amounts of aluminium are released to the environment at coal-fired power plants or [[Incineration|incinerators]].<ref name="atsdr"/> Aluminium in the air is washed out by the rain or normally settles down but small particles of aluminium remain in the air for a long time.<ref name="atsdr" />

Acidic [[precipitation]] is the main natural factor to mobilize aluminium from natural sources<ref name="Piero3" /> and the main reason for the environmental effects of aluminium;<ref name="RosselandEldhuset1990">{{cite journal|last1=Rosseland|first1=B.O.|last2=Eldhuset|first2=T.D.|last3=Staurnes|first3=M.|year=1990|title=Environmental effects of aluminium|journal=Environmental Geochemistry and Health|volume=12|issue=1–2|pages=17–27|doi=10.1007/BF01734045|pmid=24202562|bibcode=1990EnvGH..12...17R |s2cid=23714684|issn=0269-4042}}</ref> however, the main factor of presence of aluminium in salt and freshwater are the industrial processes that also release aluminium into air.<ref name="Piero3" />

In water, aluminium acts as a toxiс agent on [[gill]]-breathing animals such as [[fish]] when the water is acidic, in which aluminium may precipitate on gills,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Baker|first1=Joan P.|last2=Schofield|first2=Carl L.|date=1982|title=Aluminum toxicity to fish in acidic waters|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/BF02419419|journal=Water, Air, and Soil Pollution|language=en|volume=18|issue=1–3|pages=289–309|doi=10.1007/BF02419419|bibcode=1982WASP...18..289B|s2cid=98363768|issn=0049-6979|access-date=27 December 2020|archive-date=11 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611060738/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02419419|url-status=live}}</ref> which causes loss of [[Blood plasma|plasma]]- and [[hemolymph]] ions leading to [[Osmoregulation|osmoregulatory]] failure.<ref name="RosselandEldhuset1990" /> Organic complexes of aluminium may be easily absorbed and interfere with metabolism in mammals and birds, even though this rarely happens in practice.<ref name="RosselandEldhuset1990" />

Aluminium is primary among the factors that reduce plant growth on acidic soils. Although it is generally harmless to plant growth in pH-neutral soils, in acid soils the concentration of toxic Al<sup>3+</sup> [[cation]]s increases and disturbs root growth and function.<ref>{{cite journal
|title=Effect of aluminum on δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) and the development of cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'')
|first1=Luciane|last1=Belmonte Pereira |first2=Luciane|last2=Aimed Tabaldi |first3=Jamile|last3=Fabbrin Gonçalves |first4=Gladis Oliveira|last4=Jucoski
|first5=Mareni Maria|last5=Pauletto |first6=Simone|last6=Nardin Weis |first7=Fernando|last7=Texeira Nicoloso |first8=Denise|last8= Brother |first9=João|last9=Batista Teixeira Rocha |first10=Maria Rosa Chitolina|last10=Chitolina Schetinger
|journal=Environmental and Experimental Botany|volume=57|issue=1–2|pages=106–115|date=2006|doi = 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2005.05.004|bibcode=2006EnvEB..57..106P }}
</ref><ref>{{cite journal
|title=Toxicity and tolerance of aluminium in vascular plants|first=Maud|last=Andersson
|journal=Water, Air, & Soil Pollution|volume=39|issue=3–4|pages=439–462|date=1988
|url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00279487|url-status=live
|doi=10.1007/BF00279487|bibcode=1988WASP...39..439A|s2cid=82896081|access-date=28 February 2020
|archive-date=28 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228160931/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00279487}}
</ref><ref>{{cite journal
|title=The role of the apoplast in aluminium toxicity and resistance of higher plants: A review
|first=Walter J.|last=Horst
|journal=Zeitschrift für Pflanzenernährung und Bodenkunde|volume=158|issue=5|pages=419–428|date=1995|doi=10.1002/jpln.19951580503}}
</ref><ref>{{cite journal
|title = Aluminium tolerance in plants and the complexing role of organic acids
|first1 = Jian Feng
|last1 = Ma
|journal = Trends in Plant Science
|volume = 6
|issue = 6
|pages = 273–278
|date = 2001
|doi = 10.1016/S1360-1385(01)01961-6
|pmid = 11378470
|last2 = Ryan
|first2 = P.R.
|last3 = Delhaize
|first3 = E.|bibcode = 2001TPS.....6..273M
}}
</ref> [[Wheat]] has [[adaptation|developed]] a tolerance to aluminium, releasing [[organic compound]]s that bind to harmful aluminium [[cations]]. [[Sorghum]] is believed to have the same tolerance mechanism.<ref>{{cite journal
|title = Comparative Mapping of a Major Aluminum Tolerance Gene in Sorghum and Other Species in the Poaceae
|first8 = L.V.|last8 = Kochian |first7 = L.|last7 = Li |first6 = R.E.|last6 = Schaffert |first5 = P.E.|last5 = Klein
|first4 = M.E.|last4 = Sorrells|first3 = Y.|last3 = Wang|first2 = D.F.|last2 = Garvin|author = Magalhaes, J.V.
|journal = Genetics|volume = 167| issue = 4|date = 2004|pmid = 15342528|pmc = 1471010|doi = 10.1534/genetics.103.023580|pages = 1905–1914}}</ref>

Aluminium production possesses its own challenges to the environment on each step of the production process. The major challenge is the [[greenhouse gas emissions|emission of greenhouse gases]]. These gases result from electrical consumption of the smelters and the byproducts of processing.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Saevarsdottir |first1=Gudrun |last2=Kvande |first2=Halvor |last3=Welch |first3=Barry J. |date=2020 |title=Aluminum Production in the Times of Climate Change: The Global Challenge to Reduce the Carbon Footprint and Prevent Carbon Leakage |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11837-019-03918-6 |journal=JOM |language=en |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=296–308 |doi=10.1007/s11837-019-03918-6 |issn=1047-4838}}</ref> The most potent of these gases are [[Fluorocarbon|perfluorocarbons]], namely CF<sub>4</sub> and C<sub>2</sub>F<sub>6</sub>, from the smelting process.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abrahamson |first=Dean |date=1992 |title=Aluminium and global warming |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/356484a0 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=356 |issue=6369 |pages=484 |doi=10.1038/356484a0 |bibcode=1992Natur.356..484A |issn=0028-0836}}</ref>

Biodegradation of metallic aluminium is extremely rare; most aluminium-corroding organisms do not directly attack or consume the aluminium, but instead produce corrosive wastes.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Duncan Aviation |title=Fuel System Contamination & Starvation |date=2011 |url=http://www.duncanaviation.aero/intelligence/201102/fuel_starvation_system_contamination.php |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225051128/http://www.duncanaviation.aero/intelligence/201102/fuel_starvation_system_contamination.php |archive-date=25 February 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|quote=A ''Geotrichum''-type arthroconidial fungus was isolated by the authors from a deteriorated compact disc found in Belize (Central America)....In the present paper, we report the purification and characterization of an H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>-generating extracellular oxidase produced by this fungus, which shares catalytic properties with both ''P. eryngii'' AAO and ''P. simplicissimum'' VAO.|volume=Proteins and Proteomics 1794|issue=4|date=April 2009|pages=689–697|title=New oxidase from ''Bjerkandera'' arthroconidial anamorph that oxidizes both phenolic and nonphenolic benzyl alcohols|first1=Elvira|last1=Romero|first2=Patricia|last2=Ferreira|first3=Ángel&nbsp;T.|last3=Martínez|first4=María|last4=Jesús&nbsp;Martínez|journal=Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Proteins and Proteomics |doi=10.1016/j.bbapap.2008.11.013|pmid=19110079 }}  See also the abstract of {{harvnb|Romero|Speranza|García-Guinea|Martínez|2007}}.</ref>  The fungus ''[[Geotrichum candidum]]'' can consume the aluminium in [[compact disc]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1038/news010628-11 |author=Bosch, Xavier |title=Fungus eats CD |date=27 June 2001 |journal=Nature |pages=news010628–11 |url=http://www.nature.com/news/2001/010627/full/news010628-11.html |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231163222/http://www.nature.com/news/2001/010627/full/news010628-11.html |archive-date=31 December 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Naturwissenschaften|year=2001|volume=88|pages=351–354|doi=10.1007/s001140100249|department=Short Communication|first1=Javier|last1=Garcia-Guinea|first2=Victor|last2=Cárdenes|first3=Angel&nbsp;T.|last3=Martínez|first4=Maria|last4=Jesús&nbsp;Martínez|title=Fungal bioturbation paths in a compact disk|issue=8 |pmid=11572018 |bibcode=2001NW.....88..351G |s2cid=7599290 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=An anamorph of the white-rot fungus ''Bjerkandera adusta'' capable of colonizing and degrading compact disc components|first1=Elvira|last1=Romero|first2=Mariela|last2=Speranza|first3=Javier|last3=García-Guinea|first4=Ángel&nbsp;T.|last4=Martínez|first5=María|last5=Jesús&nbsp;Martínez|date=8 August 2007|doi=10.1111/j.1574-6968.2007.00876.x|editor-first=Bernard|editor-last=Prior|journal=FEMS Microbiol Lett|volume=275|issue=1 |pages=122–129|publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd.|pmid=17854471 |doi-access=free|hdl=10261/47650|hdl-access=free}}</ref> The bacterium ''[[Pseudomonas aeruginosa]]'' and the fungus ''[[Cladosporium resinae]]'' are commonly detected in aircraft fuel tanks that use [[kerosene]]-based fuels (not [[avgas]]), and laboratory cultures can degrade aluminium.<ref>{{cite journal
|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio19Tuat01-t1-body-d4.html |journal=Tuatara |title=Studies on the "Kerosene Fungus" ''Cladosporium resinae'' (Lindau) De Vries: Part I. The Problem of Microbial Contamination of Aviation Fuels |page=29 |author1=Sheridan, J.E. |author2=Nelson, Jan |author3=Tan, Y.L. |volume=19 |issue=1 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213140543/http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio19Tuat01-t1-body-d4.html |archive-date=13 December 2013 }}</ref>