Borates

Deposited millions of years ago, borates are crystallised salts that contain boron.

Boron is a mineral essential to plant growth, so it is used in fertilisers, but it is also used in high tech applications, such as the heat-resistant glass for smartphones, materials for renewable energy – like wind, solar and EV batteries, wood protection and fiberglass insulation.

Commercially viable quantities of this rare and versatile mineral have been found in very few places in the world. One is in California’s Mojave Desert, where we started mining more than 150 years ago first in Death Valley and then moving, in 1927, to Boron.

Today our Boron operations in California, supply approximately 30% of global demand for refined borates, from one of the world’s 2 largest borate deposits. 

Borates have a variety of industrial uses. For example, boron is a micronutrient essential to plant growth. The boron we mine is a low calcium, sodium borate, which is optimal for agricultural use. We refine our borate minerals into boron-rich micronutrient fertilisers that help farmers, around the world, grow better crops in greater quantities.

Some of the many uses of boron include: glass, fibreglass, flame-retardants, ceramics, industrial detergents, wood protection, pesticides, fertilisers, and batteries and capacitors.

8 facts about Boron

1. Boron is a nonmetallic chemical element

Trace amounts are found in soil, water, plants and animals. The element boron does not exist by itself in nature. It combines with oxygen and other elements to form salts called borates.

2. Boron (B) was isolated as an element in 1808

It is the fifth element in the periodic table.

3. The first confirmed use of borates was in the 8th century

Arabian gold and silversmiths used them. It is thought that ancient Babylonian goldsmiths could have used borates as far back as 2,000 BCE.

4. Borates play a critical role in aluminium recycling

They help purify aluminium by binding impurities that make it easier to skim them off. They also allow metals to melt at a lower temperature that conserves process energy.

5. Borates are an important ingredient in insulation fibreglass

This is the largest single use for the mineral worldwide.

6. Borates play a critical role in high-tech products

They can be found in the durable, heat-resistant glass in smartphones, tablets and other electronic displays; improving the performance of EV batteries, and in the helping the durability of solar energy panels and wind turbines.

7. Nuclear safety

Boron’s special atomic structure is critical to safeguard against rare, out-of-control reactions in nuclear power plants.

8. Boron deposits are rare

Boron is present everywhere in the environment but substantial deposits of borates are relatively rare. In fact, ores that contain boron are among the rarest minerals on Earth.