The mobilization of aluminum into the biosphere

Aluminum is currently the most widely used non-ferrous metal, and its extrac-tion and purification from geological stores exceeds that of any other metal except iron (1, 2). In 2013, global primary aluminum production was ~52 million tons (104 bil-lion pounds) or about 15 pounds for very person on the earth (1–4). The global out-look for aluminum demand from develop-ing countries such as Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia is rapidly increasing, due to new applications for aluminum and alu-minum alloys in infrastructural support, transportation including automobiles, avi-ation and aerospace applications, electri