BORON

Borates are essential to plants and part of a healthy diet for people. They are also vital ingredients to many of the products people use every day. Borates are used to make reinforcement and insulation fiberglass, borosilicate glass, enamel frits and glazes, wood preservatives, flame retardants and agricultural nutrients, among other products. The use of borate minerals dates back to the 8th century when they were used as a flux for glass work and metal smelting. Today, there are more than 300 end uses for borates and new applications continue to be developed.

Production and producers

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated 2003 world production to be 4.4 Mt (4.8 million st) (based on gross weight of ore). Turkey accounted for 1.5 Mt (1.65 million st), the United States 1.1 Mt (1.2 million st), Russia 1 Mt (1.1 million st), South America 610 kt (672,000 st) and China 140 kt (154,000 st).

The world's two leading producers are Eti Mine Works General Management in Western Turkey and Rio …