The industry had established a total annual production capacity of 44.43m t by the end of 2023, Antaike said. Output of the metal in 2024 is forecast to rise about 1m tonnes, or 2.4%, to 42.7m t, with new projects expected to start up in the third quarter, according to Beijing-based aluminium consultancy Aladdiny.

People have used aluminium compounds for medicinal purposes since the ancient Greeks, who used it as an astringent, for example to stop bleeding. Today, we use aluminium compounds to make vaccines more efficient and aluminium hydroxide is inter alia used to treat stomach ulcers.

In American English, this element is called aluminum, while in British English it's more commonly referred to as aluminium. The two names refer to the same chemical element. In scientific writing and academia, both aluminum and aluminium are commonly used and considered correct names.

Aluminum is a chemical element with symbol Al and atomic number 13.