Aluminum Poisoning with Emphasis on Its Mechanism and Treatment of Intoxication

Aluminum poisoning has been reported in some parts of the world. It is one of the global health problems that affect many organs. Aluminum is widely used daily by humans and industries. Residues of aluminum compounds can be found in drinking water, food, air, medicine, deodorants, cosmetics, packaging, many appliances and equipment, buildings, transportation industries, and aerospace engineering. Exposure to high levels of aluminum compounds leads to aluminum poisoning. Aluminum poisoning has complex and multidimensional effects, such as disruption or inhibition of enzymes activities, changing protein synthesis, nucleic acid function, and cell membrane permeability, preventing DNA repair, altering the stability of DNA organization, inhibition of the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, inducing oxidative stress, decreasing activity of antioxidant enzymes, altering cellular iron homeostasis, and changing NF-kB, p53, and JNK pathway leading to apoptosis. Aluminum poisoning can affect blood content, musculoskeletal system, kidney, liver, and respiratory and nervous system, and the extent of poisoning can be diagnosed by assaying aluminum compounds in blood, urine, hair, nails, and sweat. Chelator agents such as deferoxamine (DFO) are used in the case of aluminum poisoning. Besides, combination therapies are recommended.

Ring-Opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone and Styrene Oxide–CO2 Coupling Reactions Catalyzed by Chelated Dehydroacetic Acid–Imine Aluminum Complexes

A series of chelated dehydroacetic acid–imine-based ligands L1H~L4H was synthesized by reacting dehydroacetic acid with 2-t-butylaniline, (S)-1-phenyl-ethylamine, 4-methoxylbenzylamine, and 2-(aminoethyl)pyridine, respectively, in moderate yields. Ligands L1H~L4H reacted with AlMe3 in toluene to afford corresponding compounds AlMe2L1 (1), AlMe2L2 (2), AlMe2L3 (3), and AlMe2L4 (4). All the ligands and aluminum compounds were characterized by IR spectra, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Additionally, the ligands L1H~L4H and corresponding aluminum derivatives 1, 3, and 4 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffractometry. The catalytic activities using these aluminum compounds as catalysts for the ε-caprolactone ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and styrene oxide-CO2 coupling reactions were studied. The results show that increases in the reaction temperature and selective solvent intensify the conversions of ε-caprolactone to polycaprolactone. Regarding the coupling reactions of styrene oxide and CO2, the conversion rate is over 90% for a period of 12 h at 90 °C. This strategy dispenses the origination of cyclic styrene carbonates, which is an appealing concern because of the transformation of CO2 into an inexpensive, renewable and easy excess carbon feedstock.

HYDROTHERMAL EXTRACTION OF LITHIUM COMPOUNDS FROM PETALITE Li[AlSi4O10]

Based on studies of the decomposition of pe­ta­lite ore, the hydrothermal method for the extraction of lithium and aluminum compounds from lithium aluminosilicate Li[AlSi4O10] (petalite) has been developed. The studied sample of ore contains, wt. %: Li2O – 0.75 and Al2O3 – 14.65. For unenriched petalite ore with low lithium content, it is proposed to use the hydrochemical method of aluminosilicate processing – Ponomarev – Sazhin method. According to this method, the decomposition of ore is carried out directly in autoclaves by chemical interaction of ore components with NaOH solution in the presence of calcium oxide. The conditions (high temperature and pressure) for the destruction of petalite and the transition of lithium into the liquid phase are created exactly in the hydrothermal process. In this case, lithium and aluminum compounds pass into the solution, and calcium and silicon form a partially soluble compound in the solid phase – sodium-calcium hydrosilicateNa2O·2CaO·2SiO2·2H2O. The degree of extraction of lithium reaches 89–94 %, aluminum reaches 77–95 % within 1 hour at a tempe­rature of 240–280 °C, given caustic modulus 14–18, the concentration of the initial solution of 400–450 g/dm3 of Na2O and the ratio of CaO : SiO2 = 1 : 1 in the reaction mixture. Aluminate or lithium carbonate and other compounds can be obtained from an aluminate solution containing 1.5–2.5 g/dm3 of Li2O and 32–44 g/dm3 of Al2O3. The solid phase formed as a result of decomposition, with a high degree of extraction of lithium from the ore contains a small amount of Li2O in its composition and therefore can be used in the cement industry. Depending on the quality of the decomposed raw material, the course of the hydrothermal process is influenced by a set of factors. With a small content of lithium and aluminum in the ore, the caustic modulus of aluminate solutions (αк = 1,645*Na2O/Al2O3) formed after decomposition is important. Its calculation is required in order to determine the amount of alkaline solution of the required concentration to ensure almost complete decomposition of the ore. This value should be higher the lower the decomposition temperature and the concentration of the initial solution to achieve the same degree of recovery of useful components in the liquid phase. With the same caustic modulus, the efficiency of ore decomposition increases significantly with increasing process temperature and increasing the concentration of the initial solution. This can be seen in the values of the degree of extraction of aluminum, which increases by 12 % with increasing temperature from 240 to 280 °C, while the extraction of lithium remains practically unchanged.

Study of the mechanism of pre-burned ash leaching by hydrochloric acid

The use of hydrochloric acid for processing aluminum-containing raw materials has a number of advantages over other acids, which include: easy decomposition of aluminum compounds with the transfer of aluminum into solution; low solubility of silica in HCl, the possibility of complete separation of the solid residue without significant losses of acid, etc. The paper considers the possibility of using the method for processing ash and slag dumps accumulated in large volumes in the country. Based on the thermodynamic analysis of reactions of interaction between ash components and hydrochloric acid, the behavior of aluminum, iron and nonferrous metal compounds during leaching is studied. It was shown that the preliminary roasting of ash with calcium chloride provides a high extraction of aluminum in the solution from the cinder. Based on experimental studies, the influence of time, temperature and acid consumption on the degree of aluminum extraction into the solution has been established. At optimal conditions of leaching conducted at S:L = 1:3, T = 60 ºC, τ = 60 min extraction of aluminum in a solution as chloride amounted to 99.92 %. At the same time the extraction of silica in solid sediment due to the maximum transfer of impurities in the solution was 99.8 %. The mechanism of the leaching process is proposed. The values of activation energy and the order of the reaction, indicating the complex 3-step character of the reactions, have been calculated. It is established that the limiting stage during leaching is the dissolution of anorthite.

Aluminium Nitride Doping for Solar Mirrors Self-Cleaning Coatings

Soiling severely reduces solar mirror performance, requiring dispendious water consumption for cleaning operations and causing an increase in the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). An emerging technology for facing this problem consists of developing transparent self-cleaning coatings, able to be washed with a small amount of water by virtue of the modulation of surficial wetting properties. Nevertheless, the beneficial effects of coatings decrease in the first year, and coated mirrors show even higher soiling than non-coated ones. Moreover, it is important that coating production processes are economically convenient, consistent with the intended reduction of overall costs. The aim of this work is the research and development of a cheap and scalable solution, compatible with mirror fabrication steps and, in such a sense, economically advantageous. It involves the substitution of the alumina last layer of solar mirrors with more hydrophobic, potentially auxetic aluminum compounds, such as nitrides. In particular, 2D inorganic aluminum nitride thin films doped with metals (such as aluminum and silver) and non-metals have been fabricated by means of reactive sputtering deposition and characterized for the purpose of studying their self-cleaning behavior, finding a trade-off between wetting properties, optical clarity, and stability.

A Review on the Role of Amorphous Aluminum Compounds in Catalysis: Avenues of Investigation and Potential Application in Petrochemistry and Oil Refining

Aluminum oxides and hydroxides are widely applied because of the great variety of their modifications. In particular, aluminum oxides and hydroxides are used in petrochemistry and oil refining. However, amorphous aluminum compounds have not been sufficiently studied due to the complexity of their synthesis and the problems encountered during their study. The study of amorphous aluminum compounds is hindered by the ambiguity of terminology. In this work, the structures of amorphous aluminum compounds prepared by different methods and the properties that determine their applications have been highlighted in detail. Amorphous aluminum compounds play both positive and negative roles in petrochemistry; however, in petroleum refining, amorphous compounds (without promoters and transition metal salts) demonstrate a promising catalytic performance in oil upgrading.

A Study of the Possibility of Obtaining Deposited Coatings based on Intermetallic Titanium and Aluminum Compounds using the Chemical Vapor Transport Method

Theoretical and experimental investigations of processes of titanium-aluminum coating formation on refractory wire substrates by the Chemical Vapor Transport Reactions (CVT) method were carried out. Modelling of CVT was based on the thermodynamic analysis of an equilibrium iodide system implying the presence of one of titanium aluminides in the condensed phase, titanium and aluminum iodides in the gas phase, as well as atomic and molecular iodine. The fact that the volatility and stability of various metals are strongly interrelated was considered as a working hypothesis, which made it possible to obtain a number of alloys with the simultaneous decomposition of metal iodides constituting an alloy. Experiments on the deposition of titanium-aluminum coatings were conducted in a quasi-closed reactor, which allowed us to obtain deposited coatings on long-length refractory substrates

Elevated IgG Antibody to Aluminum Bound to Human Serum Albumin in Patients with Crohn’s, Celiac and Alzheimer’s Disease

Aluminum is in our water and food, and is used as an adjuvant in vaccines. About 40% of the ingested dose accumulates within the intestinal mucosa, making the gut the main target of inflammation and autoimmunity; about 1% accumulates in the skeletal system and brain, inducing the cross-linking of amyloid-β-42 peptide and the formation of amyloid aggregates associated with Alzheimer’s disease. To examine whether the accumulation of aluminum in the gut and brain tissues results in neoantigen formation, we bound aluminum compounds to human serum albumin. We used ELISA to measure IgG antibody in 94 different sera from healthy controls and 47 sera from each group of patients: anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody-positive (Crohn’s), and positive for deamidated α-gliadin and transglutaminase-2 IgA antibodies (celiac disease), autoimmune disorders associated with intestinal tissue antigens. Because earlier studies have shown that aluminum exposure is linked to Alzheimer’s disease etiology, and high aluminum content is detected in Alzheimer’s patients’ brain tissue, we also measured aluminum antibody in the blood of these patients. Additionally, we measured aluminum antibody in the sera of mixed connective tissue disease patients who were positive for antinuclear antibodies, and used them as disease controls. We found significant IgG antibody elevation against all three aluminum compounds in the sera of patients with Crohn’s, celiac and Alzheimer’s disease, but not in patients with mixed connective tissue disease. We concluded that aluminum ingestion and absorption from the GI tract and brain may contribute to Crohn’s, celiac and Alzheimer’s disease, but not to mixed connective tissue disease.

Aluminum environmental pollution: the silent killer

The concern about aluminum (Al) toxicity has been proven in various cases. Some cases are associated with the fact that Al is a neurotoxic substance that has been found in high levels in the brain tissues of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), epilepsy, and autism patients. Other cases are related to infants, especially premature infants and ones with renal failure, who are at the risk of developing the central nervous system (CNS) and bone toxicity. This risk is a result of infants’ exposure to Al from milk formulas, intravenous-feeding solutions, and possibly from aluminum-containing vaccinations. Furthermore, most antiperspirants contain aluminum compounds that raise human exposure to toxic Al. This review paper is intended to discuss in detail the above concerns associated with aluminum, and hence urges the need for more studies exploring the effects of overexposure to Al and recommending mitigation actions.