BORON AND BORATES NEWS

Borates Today publishes news, insights, guides, and latest special reports about boron, borates, and borax for investors, researchers, and readers interested in Decarbonization; Advanced Energy, Food Security and Micronutrients.

NEWS

Boron, Powering Advanced energy
DECARBONIZATION

Decarbonization and Boron

Rio Tinto Mine. The Serbian government has finally revoked Rio Tinto's licenses for lithium exploration in Serbia in the latter part of January 2022. The government gave in to the protesters who have been opposed to the Anglo-Australian mining company's project on environmental grounds. Last year, the company committed to the project as global miners push for metals necessary to transition to green energy. This includes lithium which is used in the production of electric vehicle batteries. The project was already suspended in December 2021 due to environmental deterioration and forced displacement concerns.

NEWS

Borax: The Safe and Effective Detergent

Borax

Borax is used in cleaning products because it helps remove dirt and grime. But we need to handle it carefully or it can be dangerous if ingested by children. Borax is a white powdery substance that is also known as sodium tetraborate. Although sodium tetraborate is a salt of boric acid, it is not an acid, it’s a salt.

Boron in Solar Panels

boron solar energy

Boron in solar panels is becoming more important in energy provision for advanced and developing countries. Over the past several decades, solar cell efficiency has steadily increased. This is due in part to the increase in the number of light-absorbing layers in a cell and partly due to boron in solar power working with silicon to optimize the energy generated by sunlight.

Boron Fertilizers

Boron Fertilisers

Boron helps to improve the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizers by making them more available to plants and plays a vital role in Food Security. Industrial production of fertilizer has increased necessitating a need for sustainability with boron and nitrogen that drive industry.

Company Profile of Li-S Energy Limited – Boron Battery

Boron and EV Batteries

Li-S Energy Limited, established in 2019, is an Australian company, a joint venture between Li-S Energy's founding shareholders, PPK Group, BNNT Technology, and Deakin University. Its purpose is to develop a new battery technology that incorporates Boron Nitride Nanotubes, which are more efficient, lower cost, and greener than current batteries for markets including automotive, defense and aviation.

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GUIDE TO BORON

APPLICATIONS

Fire Retardants

Zinc Borates Fire Retardants

Zinc borates can be used as a flame retardant, char promoter, afterglow and smoke suppressant, and anti-arc agent in polymer systems. They combines the optimum effects of zinc and boron oxides with water release for flame-retardant.

CHEMISTRY

Chemistry, SCIENCE

Boron Oxide

Boron combines with oxygen to form Boron oxide. Boron oxide appears as colourless, semi-transparent glassy lumps or hard white, odourless crystals. Moderately soluble in water, it is the base material for the synthesis of other boron compounds, as a fluxing agent in enamels and glasses, and as a bonding agent in the hot isostatic pressing of boron nitride ceramics. Boron being a metalloid, forms amphoteric oxides; Diboron trioxide, (B2O3 ) being the most common oxide of Boron. 

RESEARCH

Chemistry, RESEARCH

Boron Allotropes and Forms

Boron Allotropes take several forms and account for boron's presence in multiple natural and man-made products. Allotropes are different structural forms of an element. Boron has more that 14 allotropes have been reported.

Innovation, RESEARCH

Tensile Strength in Auto Manufacturing

Boron alloy steels with high tensile strength can be carbon, low alloy, HSLA, and carbon-manganese. Boron's high neutron absorbtion means that stainless steels used for nuclear industry, for instance, are often enriched with boron. It can be as high as 4%, but is more commonly 0.5 to 1 percent.

BENEFITS

Agriculture, Human Health

Canola Needs Boron to Thrive

Canola is a Brassica family member with especially high boron requirements. Boron deficiency significantly impacts seed production; yields are doubled when 2 lbs of boron per acre are applied to the canola field with no visual anomalies.

MINING BORON & BORATES

MINING

MINING

Boron Extraction risk and rewards

As a result of climate change, boron is becoming more and more sought after to cope with Decarbonization initiatives and Advanced Energy applications to reduce fuel and energy costs and reduce pollution levels. As global temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, we can expect an even greater need for boron to develop renewable energy sources. Use of Boron is also promoted in government regulations such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Power Plan to meet stricter emission standards for power plants.

MINING

A Town Called Boron

Scientists and mining professionals know boron as a strategic mineral that powers advanced energy and serve multiple industrial, agricultural, and household applications. But there is another Boron, a town called boron in California. Many of the population of Boron work at the U.S. Borax mine nearby, after which the town was renamed.

ADVANCED ENERGY, MINING

FEAM And Solar Energy Systems

5E Advanced Materials, Inc. (“5E”) (Nasdaq: FEAM)(ASX: 5EA) has signed a research agreement with Boston College to explore the creation of innovative solar energy systems to help make renewable energy more affordable and accessible.

INVEST IN BORON

INVEST IN BORON, MINING

Billion Dollar Boron

Billion dollar boron. In 2021, borates sales hit billions of dollars. Why? The demand for boron is increasing rapidly in strategic sectors such as aerospace and defense, zero-carbon, and advanced energy solutions, which depend on boron-based technologies to reduce emissions. Recent forecasts predict that boron demand will increase by 30% by the end of the decade.

PLANET BORON

DECARBONIZATION

DECARBONIZATION

Carbon-free Energy Technologies

Carbon Emission and The Greenhouse Effect Fossil fuels, including coal, natural gas, and oil, have fueled the modernization of global economies. While being the fundamental energy drivers for all developed and developing nations over the last century, they have...

ADVANCED ENERGY

ADVANCED ENERGY, RESEARCH

Boron Nanotubes BNNT Stability for Electronics

The Boron Nitrate Nanotube is a novel material with unique properties, including high thermal conductivity and chemical stability. It has been used in many applications such as heat transfer fluids, lubricants, coatings for semiconductors, catalysts, etc., but its use in batteries was not explored until recently. The first report of the application of BNNTs in Li-ion batteries appeared only in 2020.

ADVANCED ENERGY

Boron Rewrites the Rules for the Automotive Industry

With electric vehicles becoming more popular, new material is needed for battery electrodes that can accommodate these changes. Boron is an excellent candidate because of its ability to efficiently transmit electrons while also being lightweight and inexpensive. It's not just used in batteries; it's also used as a coolant for engines and brakes, as well as a strengthening agent for steel alloys. 

FOOD SECURITY

MICRONUTRIENTS