BORON

Four minerals account for 90 percent of natural borates used throughout the world — the sodium borates, tincal and kernite; the calcium borate, colemanite; and the 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 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 2022 from that of 2021; 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 United Kingdombased 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 2022, consuming 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. Foreign trade According to the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. exports of refined borax were 650 kt in 2022, a 7 percent increase from 607 kt in 2021. China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Canada, Mexico, India, the Netherlands and Japan imported the largest quantities of refined borates from the United States, comprising 92 percent of total refined borate exports. The average unit value for refined borate exports was $565/t in 2022, a 19 percent increase from $474/t reported in 2021. Boric acid exports were 247 kt with a value of $826/t in 2022, a 12 percent decrease in tonnage from 280 kt in 2021 but a 14 percent increase in total sales value. Imports of boric acid in 2022 were 48 kt, about 11 percent less than those of 2021. Approximately 81 percent of imported boric acid came from Turkey in 2022. The average unit value for boric acid imports was $838/t in 2022, a 38 percent increase from $607/t reported in 2021. The average unit value for refined borate imports was $397/t in 2022, a 9 percent increase from $364/t reported in 2021. International Chile, China, Turkey and the United States (in alphabetical order) led the world in the production of borates in 2022. 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’s boron products reached a record $1.3 billion in sales from approximately 2.65 Mt produced in 2022, most of which were exported. Over 95 percent of sales were of refined boron products. 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 have enabled farmers to invest more capital in advanced farming techniques and higher-grade 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 worked on acquiring some of the permits and funding necessary to begin and continue construction in 2022. Construction on the California project began in April 2022 and was expected to have a focus on specialty boron products for industries related to global decarbonization and food security once production starts. The Nevada project was expected to begin production by 2025. References are available from the author.

BORON

Authored by:
A.S. Brioche

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

BISMUTH

BROMINE

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