Plant aluminum

It is possible to carry out such oxidation processes as the conversion of acetaldehyde to acetic acid, or methyl alcohol to formaldehyde in aluminum plants, thus avoiding boiling anhydrous acids. The metal is especially valuable for handling delicate chemicals, which must not acquire metallic taste or color. For these reasons, aluminum has found extensive use in the food, dairy, brewing and fishing industries. 

Kinraide, T. B. and Parker, D. R. (1989). Assessing the phytotoxicity of mononuclear hydroxy-aluminum, Plant Cell Environ., 12, 479-487. 

In 1978, the emission of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) from an aluminum plant In the vicinity of Sundsvall, Sweden, was estimated to be about four times the total amount emitted from all the motor vehicles In that country. As might be expected, the result of this estimate caused considerable concern, and a survey of the air quality In the Sundsvall area was made In 1980-81. The program monitored concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and fluoride In ambient air, with samples being collected once each week. Concentrations of fluoride and meteorological data were measured by the aluminum company laboratory, while PAH concentrations were determined by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU). 

Attempting to quantify the PAH contributions from the aluminum plant. 

Table II. NILU Estimated Contributions From Aluminum Plant Emissions...

Table III. Estimated BaP Contribution from Aluminum Plant at FourStations (non-c1ustering)...

Gibbs GW, Horowitz I Lung cancer mortality in aluminum plant workers. J Occup Med 21 347-353, 1979... 

PAH are formed by every high temperature reaction involving organic materials (10). There are a number of industrial processes where PAH can be identified in the workplace atmosphere. Well known examples are coke plants, ferroalloy plants, aluminum plants, secondary lead smelters and others (11,12). In some cases the harmful effect of these compounds has been indicated by epidemiological studies (12). 

Sampling. Samples of PAH were collected from an aluminum plant. Particulate matter was collected on a Gelman glass fiber filter. Vapors were collected in two impingers filled with ethanol and cooled with dry ice. The sampling device is reported elsewhere... 

The EPA regulates aluminum and certain aluminum compounds under the Clean Air Act (CAA). They are not, however, designated as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). The two stationary source categories for which EPA has promulgated performance standards in an effort to control emissions to the atmosphere are primary and secondary aluminum plants (EPA 1977a, 1982a). 

Haugen A, Ovrebo S, Drablos PA. 1992. Biomonitoring of genotoxic exposure of aluminum plant workers. Med Lav 83 506-510. 

Li Y-M, Nakaya S, Kudo H, et al. 1991. Health survey of workers of an aluminum plant in China. 4. X-ray examinations of the skeletal system. Fluoride 23-24 95-99. 

Theriault G, Cordier S, Harvey R. 1984b. Skin telangiectases in workers at an aluminum plant. N Engl J Med 303 1278-1281. 

PW O Keefe State University of New York SUNY, Albany, NY Determine the complete range of toxic compounds in the sediment collected near an aluminum plant in the Massena area of the St. Lawrence River... 

Aluminum reduction plants have also caused local forest destruction. In Montana, fluoride pollution killed or severely injured ponder osa pine and lodge pole pine on 8 fcm (2000A) surrounding a plant. In Washington, ponderosa pine mortality and morbidity resulted over a 130 km (50 mi ) area in the vicinity of an aluminum plant. 

Note that the manufacture of A1 occurs from plentifully available natural resources at present this is bauxite and eventually it will be clay. The electricity for many aluminum plants comes from hydroelectric plants, so that the use of mechanically rechargeable A1 batteries (obtained in this manner) would lead to a reduction in greenhouse gases faster than that of re-forming methanol on-board cars to obtain hydrogen for fuel cells (because this gives rise to C02). (Bockris)... 

Schroth, G., Pyzel Process zum Klinkerbrennen, Zement-Kalk-Gips 24, 571-3 (1971). Shangtung Aluminum Plant, Research Institute, Fluidization Group, Fluidized Leaching of Aluminum Ore Sinter—A Report on Laboratory Investigations and Bench-Scale Tests (in Chinese, unpublished), 1967-5-23 (1967). 

The individual fluoride exposure and the corresponding body fluid levels were studied in 41 workers in an aluminum plant in Sweden. During the shift (8 h) personal air samplings were performed, plasma fluoride levels and urine fluoride excretion determined. The average total fluoride exposure was... 

The first aluminum plant was built in Neuhausen, on the banks of the Rhine. In 1888 the Societe Electrometal-lurgique Francaise was founded for production of aluminum where Heroult became the technical director. Later this company merged with the Societe Francaise de l Aluminium Pur at which Heroult was also involved in research. Heroult is also noted for his electric furnace named for him. 

The aluminum plants have operated at less than 65% capacity since 1974, the primary problem being a lack of adequate power. Although the government recognizes the critical need for aluminum for use in power transmission, this industry was the first to undeigo power cuts in favor of farming and other industries. There are also many labor problems which further reduce productivity. 

Since bauxites are to be found in many countries of the world, the processing of silicatic aluminum minerals is industrially unimportant. Non-bauxite raw materials (e.g. nepheline and aluminite ores) are processed, to a limited extent, in the former States of the USSR and Poland (accounts for an estimated 16% of the aluminum-plant production in the former States of the USSR). 

Phenanthrene occurs in fossil fuels and is present in products of incomplete combustion. Some of the known sources of phenanthrene in the atmosphere are vehicular emissions, coal and oil burning, wood combustion, coke plants, aluminum plants, iron and... 

As mentioned above, the manufacture of aluminum is another important source of atmospheric F pollution that led to injuries to vegetation and wildlife. A comparative study was done in early 1970s on a black-tailed deer killed on a road near an aluminum plant in northwestern Washington (F-contaminated) and on another black-tailed deer killed on a road in an area with no industrial facilities (non-F-contaminated). The F-contaminated deer manifested marked dental disfigurement and abnormal tooth wear pattern compared to the non-F-contaminated animal. The F concentrations in the bones of the F-contaminated deer were 18 to 38 times higher than those in the bones of the non-F-contaminated deer (Table 8.2) (Newman and Yu 1977). 

There is a growing interest in F-induced oxidative stress. Studies have indicated that F exposure resulted in lipid peroxidation. In animal experiments, F was shown capable of inducing not only lipid peroxidation in several organs and tissues but also changes in endogenous antioxidant components such as SOD, GPx, and GSH (Sun et al. 1994). Studies of aluminum plant workers exposed to F in the workplace showed that, in addition to marked increases in urinary F concentrations, the levels of serum lipid peroxides and the activity of SOD were increased, compared with those of workers not exposed to F. These results suggest the occurrence of free radical-induced lipid peroxidation in industrial workers chronically exposed to high levels of F. 

Tesfaye M., Temple SJ., Allan DL., Vance CP., Samac DA. Overexpression of malate dehydrogenase in transgenic alfalfa enhances organic add synthesis and confers tolerance to aluminum. Plant Physiology 2001 127(4) 1836-1844. 

Becher et al. (1984) evaluated urine and blood samples from 15 aluminum plant workers (average... 

Absorption of PAHs in humans following inhalation exposure can be inferred from the presence of urinary metabolites of PAHs in workers exposed to these compounds in an aluminum plant (Becher and Bjirseth 1983). The high concentration of PAHs in the occupational setting did not correspond to the amount of PAHs deposited, metabolized, and excreted in the urine in this study. The authors suggested that PAHs adsorbed to airborne particulate matter may not be bioavailable and that the dose-uptake relationship may not be linear over the entire PAH concentration range. 

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