Over twenty years ago I was fortunate enough to present my research at a Goldschmidt Conference. Arguably the foremost scientific meeting for geochemists. Geochemists have long been some of the forerunners in our understanding of aluminium chemistry, after all the Earth’s crust is composed of aluminium, silicon and oxygen. As a PhD student I learned a great deal from reading the research of geochemists such as John D Hem in the US and V Colin Farmer in the UK. An emerging subject in geochemistry at that time, the early part of this century, was how biota, living things, interacted with geochemical cycles. The term biogeochemistry was coined to describe such interactions and I was invited to present my research on the biogeochemistry of aluminium. I took the opportunity to devise a biogeochemical cycle for aluminium and to present my ideas pictorially. With the help of my wife (biophysicist) and a software package called CorelDraw we produced the first ever biogeochemical cycle for aluminium. Quite possibly it remains as the only published biogeochemical cycle for aluminium.
The image of the cycle is copied for you below.
I presented this at Goldschimdt as an eye-catching poster, approximately 150x100 cm. The cycle became the subject of a published paper, see earlier link, where its meaning and machinations are described in great detail. My ultimate objective was to animate the cycle to create an ever evolving working model of how aluminium was cycled on Earth. Unfortunately, this never came to fruition though is perhaps something more achievable in today’s computer-aided world.
The crux of the cycle is the lithospheric cycle and the myriad processes that ultimately ensure that aluminium from the Earth’s crust is continually recycled without becoming biologically available. Those of you of a religious persuasion might consider the lithospheric cycle to be God’s finest creation, ensuring that aluminium does not enter biota, living things. The Earth would certainly be another world should this cycle have been compromised during the early years of biochemical evolution. I am confident that while some form of life would have evolved from a primordial soup swimming with biologically available aluminium I would not be writing this blog in that world and you, of course, would not be reading it.
It is unfortunate that humans are hell bent on their own destruction and many of our greatest achievements are destined to be our downfall. One such milestone is represented in the biogeochemical cycle in a purposely red cycle called Human Intervention. Only the activities of humans might circumvent the fool proof lithospheric cycling of aluminium and this is exactly what has taken place in just the last 150 years of our presence on Earth. Paramount amongst our mistakes is the advent of The Aluminium Age. I have written about this in a previous substack.
The Aluminium Age is the most successful period of human life on Earth, depending at least upon how one defines successful. However, the successes are tainted by global ill health manifesting as myriad chronic diseases, the real Aluminium Age.
It does not have to be all bad news. If, admittedly after the horse has bolted, we are prepared to learn from the geochemists and those such as myself who have stood on their shoulders to understand the biogeochemistry then we could still live healthily in The Aluminium Age. We simply have to limit human exposure to aluminium both through its use and applications and on a personal level wherever and whenever possible. Regarding the latter, regular readers of this substack will know this and may already have taken steps to protect themselves from the inevitable ravages of biologically available aluminium. Do not wait for governments to do this for you.
Because aluminum (in it's solid form, like a tool a mechanic might use) is not likely to cause health problems, our wonderful FDA has decided that aluminum in an oxidized (or otherwise bioavailable form) is safe to inject directly into our bodies.
How thoughtful of them.
Here, here...fantastic poster, Chris. Another fine article. Cheers, Rod