Author Description

The world production of primary and recycled aluminum continues to increase and, over the past twenty years, has risen from ~15 Mt/y in 1985 to ~32 Mt/y in 2005. The main consumers are transportation, beverage and other packaging, and building construction. The global primary aluminum production has been growing by about 2-3% per year. However, growth rates over the last decade have been much higher. In particular, during the past five years, China has played a critical role in aluminum production and has gone through a dramatic period of growth.