BORON AND BORATES

Four minerals account for 90 percent of natural borates used throughout the world: sodium borates, tincal and kernite; calcium borate, colemanite; and sodium-calcium borate, ulexite. Deposits of borates are associated with paleo-volcanic activity coupled with modern arid climates. The largest economically viable deposits are located in the Mojave Desert near the towns of Boron and Trona, CA; the Alpide belt in southern Asia; and the Andean belt of South America. Borax, a white crystalline substance chemically known as sodium tetraborate decahydrate, is found as the mineral tincal. Boric acid (hydrogen borate) is a colorless crystalline solid sold in technical, national formulary and special-quality grades as granules or powder and marketed most often as anhydrous boric acid. Ore quality is typically measured as a function of its diboron trioxide (B2O3) equivalent content. Major end-use industries for boron include glass, ceramics, detergents and fertilizers. Production U.S. production of boron minerals and compounds increased in 2023 from 2022; production data were withheld to avoid disclosing proprietary company data. Two companies in southern California produced boron minerals, primarily sodium borates. U.S. Borax Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of U.K.- based Rio Tinto Minerals plc, extracted kernite and tincal by openpit methods at its operation in Boron, CA. The minerals were processed into boric acid and sodium borate products in a refinery adjacent to the mine and shipped by railcar or truck to North American customers or distributed internationally through the Port of Los Angeles. Specialty borates, such as agricultural, flame-retardant and woodpreservative products, are made at U.S. Borax’s Wilmington, CA, plant. Searles Valley Minerals Inc. (SVM), headquartered in Overland Park, KS, produced borax and boric acid from potassium and sodium borate brines at its Searles Lake operation near Trona, CA. The brines were refined into anhydrous, decahydrate and pentahydrous borax in SVM’s Trona and Westend plants. Consumption The glass and ceramics industries remained the leading domestic users of boron products in 2023, accounting for an estimated 65 percent of total borate consumption. Boron also was used as a component in abrasives, cleaning products, fertilizers, insecticides, various military applications and in the production of semiconductors. Boron was the most widely used micronutrient in agriculture, applied primarily to promote seed production. Boron fertilizers were mostly sourced from borax and colemanite owing to their high solubility in water, allowing boron fertilizers to be delivered through sprays or irrigation water. Boron carbide was used for manufacturing in many industries, including the aerospace and defense industries. Ferroboron was used in the production of permanent magnets and as an alloying agent in steelmaking. Foreign trade According to the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. exports of refined borax were 604 kt in 2023, a 7 percent decrease from 651 kt in 2022. China, India, Canada, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Mexico, Malaysia and Japan imported the largest quantities of refined borates from the United States (in descending order), comprising 90 percent of total refined borate exports. The average unit value for refined borate exports was $674/t in 2023, a 19 percent increase from $564/t reported in 2022. Boric acid exports were 253 kt with a value of $856/t in 2023, a 6 percent increase in tonnage from 239 kt and a 3 percent increase in value from $835/t in 2022. Imports of boric acid in 2023 were 38 kt, about 21 percent less than in 2022. Approximately 76 percent of imported boric acid came from Turkey in 2023. The average unit value for boric acid imports was $906/t in 2023, an 8 percent increase from $838/t reported in 2022. The average unit value for refined borate imports was $544/t in 2023, a 37 percent increase from $397/t reported in 2022. International Chile, China, Turkey and the United States (in alphabetical order) led the world in the production of borates in 2023. Chile was the leading borate producer in South America. China mined more than 100 borate deposits in 14 provinces. Boron resources in China, however, are of low quality, averaging around 8.4 percent B2O3. By comparison, reserves in Turkey and the United States have grades ranging from 26 to 31 percent and 25 to 32 percent B2O3, respectively. China has become more import reliant on borate products from South America, Turkey and the United States. Turkey opened its first boron carbide facility in March and began construction of a ferroboron facility in September 2022. Boron carbide is produced in only five countries in the world. Turkey’s new boron carbide facility has a capacity of 1,000 t/a. The first boron carbide sales were expected to occur in June 2023 to two Turkish defense industry companies. Outlook Consumption of borates is expected to increase as a result of strong demand in the agriculture, ceramic and glass markets in Asia and South America. Demand for fertilizers containing boron is expected to rise as a result of an increase in demand for food and biofuel crops. Higher crop prices may also enable farmers to invest more capital in advanced farming techniques, which includes boron-containing, highergrade fertilizers. The expectation of increased boron demand prompted a few companies to continue investment efforts in new borate refineries in the United States. Two Australian-based mine developers previously confirmed that production of high-quality boron products would be possible from their projects in California and Nevada, respectively. These companies continued to make progress on their respective projects by acquiring some of the permits and funding necessary to begin and continue construction. The project in California continued construction as it neared the completion of its first phase. This project was expected to have a focus on specialty boron products for industries related to global decarbonization and food security once production starts. These companies have the potential to become substantial boron producers when their projects are fully developed. The project in Nevada was offered a conditional commitment loan of up to $700 million with a 10-year term from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund the project. If work begins at the Nevada project, it was anticipated to create 600 construction jobs and up to 300 operation positions. References U.S. Geological Survey, 2024, Mineral commodity summaries 2024—Boron: U.S. Geological Survey, p. 48–49, https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2024. Daily Sabah, 2023, Erdogan inaugurates Türkiye's 1st boron carbide facility: Daily Sabah [Istanbul, Turkey], https://www.dailysabah.com/business/energy/erdogan-inauguratesturkiyes-1st-boron-carbide-facility. Daily Sabah, 2023, Türkiye to make 1st boron carbide sale to defense industry in June: Daily Sabah [Istanbul, Turkey], https://www.dailysabah.com/business/economy/turkiye-to-make-1st-boron-carbide-sale-to-defense-industry-in-june. Ioneer Ltd., 2020, Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) Report: Ioneer Ltd., [North Sydney, Australia], https://www.ioneer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/300420-dfs-executive-summary-metric_final.pdf. 5E Advanced Materials, Inc., 2021, ABR updates enhanced Fort Cady Borate Mine DFS to bring forward SOP production: 5E Advanced Materials, Inc. [Hesperia, California, USA], https://www.investi.com.au/api/announcements/abr/bc351e79-c15.pdf. Ioneer Ltd., 2023, Annual Report 2023: Ioneer Ltd., [North Sydney, Australia], p. 10, 15, https://wcsecure.weblink.com.au/pdf/INR/02714038.pdf. 5E Advanced Materials, Inc., 2023, 5E Advanced Materials Nearing Completion of First Phase: 5E Advanced Materials, Inc. [Hesperia, California, USA], https://5eadvancedmaterials.com/5e-advanced-materials-nearing-completion-of-first-phase. Solis, Jennifer, 2023, DOE offers contentious NV lithium mine $700 million loan: Nevada Current [Nevada, USA], https://nevadacurrent.com/2023/01/13/doe-offers-contentious-nv-lithium-mine-700-million-loan.

BORON AND BORATES

Authored by:
Amanda S. Brioche

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From sessions to strategy: Revealing long-term and emerging innovation trends in data analytics, intelligent systems and automation

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From sessions to strategy: Revealing long-term and emerging innovation trends in data analytics, intelligent systems and automation

Mining education gets federal boost as industry faces workforce crunch

Critical minerals management on the federal seabed

To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

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