BORON MINING

Sourcing, extraction and mining of Boron is a complicated affair requiring huge investment for this criticial mineral. Learn how the industry players are shaping the future of boron supplies 

ABR Boron Production Triples
INVEST IN BORON, MINING

ABR Appoints 2 Key Executives for US Listing

American Pacific Borates (ABR) has just announced the appointment of two senior executives to support its value engineering activities and US listing and to maximize shareholder value through operational excellence, strategic planning, and parallel diversification initiatives. The company also has plans for a listing in the US. To bring it all to fruition, the company is in discussions with various US-based investment banks, potential US partners, and debt capital market advisors.

Boron Lithium Extraction 1024x576
MINING

Exciting Lithium by-product at ABR US Boron Facility

Giving impetus to its drive to be a substantial player in the advanced energy eco-system of the region and beyond, American Pacific Borates Limited (ASX:ABR) (ABR or the Company) is exploring partner options for a potential by-product lithium production from its Fort Cady Integrated Boron Facility in Southern California.

Boron ABR
MINING

Borates and Boron Everything Mining

Everything You Need To Know About Borate and Boron Mining It was named for the mineral borax, thought to come from the Persian name burah for that mineral. There are over 200 minerals that contain boron, but only a few such as colemanite and borax are commercially...

Mining Boron and Borates
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.

Boron Oil Extraction
MINING, SCIENCE

Boron Oil Extraction

Apart from being more environmentally friendly than competing metal cross-linkers used in oil and gas stimulation, borates’ unique properties and behavior make them an ideal option for multiple oilfield applications including retarder in concrete, lubricant, alkaline buffer to reduce water hardness, lost circulation treatments, and profile control, alkaline surfactant, hydrogen sulfide scavenger (an oxidizer of hydrogen sulfide gas), pulsed neutron well logging and hydraulic fracturing fluids.

Boron and EV Batteries
Batteries and Capacitors, Company Profiles, RESEARCH

Company Profile of Li-S Energy Limited – Boron Battery

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.

Boron Rare Earths
Company Profiles, MINING

Company Profile of Lynas Rare Earths

Lynas Company Profile - Lynas is a leading global supplier of rare earths, crucial for many high-tech and green energy applications with operations in Malaysia and Australia. Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ACN:009 066 648) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange as a public company in Western Australia.

Podcast - Billion Dollar 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.

Boron 101
MINING

The Boron Production Process

Boron is a naturally occurring chemical element. It is mostly found in the arid regions of California and Turkey. Pure boron is extracted and converted into various agricultural and industrial products through diverse and complex processes.

ABR Boron Production Triples
INVEST IN BORON, MINING

ABR Increased Head-Grade

American Pacific Borates New Mine Plan with Increased Head-Grade. ABR's CEO, Henri Tausch, comments that yet another milestone that will allow them to be US-listed. And, perhaps most importantly, the mining firm also has three additional benefits connected with the S-K1300 conversion process.

ABR Production 3x
INVEST IN BORON, MINING

ABR Boron Production 3x

According to a press release from ABR on November 16th, 2021, the company has announced 'ABR production triples' with a near tripling of production capability for the critical mineral boron at its Fort Cady operations in Southern California. Boron is becoming recognized as an essential mineral for use in multiple applications in decarbonization, advanced energy - batteries- and food security- as a micronutrient.

Orocobre Lithium
Company Profiles, MINING

Company Profile of Orocobre Lithium

Sinead Kaufman takes up the responsibilities to improve Rio Tinto Minerals' performance by taking it to another level. She handles a diverse range of commodities belonging to the mining giant. Her team is working at ground level pushing $3.2 billion into the metal Lithium.

Ulexite
MINING

Ulexite: The Wonder Mineral

Ulexite, a boron mineral found in the American southwest, is recognized for its intense, pearly white color. This stone first garnered attention in 1840 and is named after the German chemist George Ludwig Ulex, who first explained its chemical composition.

Boron Blue Diamonds
APPLICATIONS, MINING

Boron Blue Diamonds

Boron blue diamonds - Diamonds are valued for their lustre and sparkle, making them precious commodities. Creating the beautiful diamond jewels that people adore as betrothal or pure indulgence symbols is a complex and lengthy process. Some diamonds are rarer than others. Believe it or not, Boron is the trace element that gives some rare diamonds a blue colour - the story of the Hope diamond is one such beneficiary of Boron's colour.

Boron Nitride Nanotubes
ADVANCED ENERGY, MINING, PODCASTS

Podcast – Novel Applications in BNNTs

Today, we're going to look at novel applications using boron nitride nanotubes. Boron nitride nanotubes, or BNNTs, are mechanically and structurally identical to carbon nanotubes. BNNTs, however, have unique properties that are electrically insulating as well as transparent because of the polarized boron nitride bond.

Country Profile Russia
Chemistry, Company Profiles, MINING

Country Profile of Russia

Country Profile of Russia: Russia is the fourth-largest supplier of borates to global markets, which present about 12% of the global total, with boric acid as the main export. The current Russia, Ukraine conflict is not having a noticeable impact on supply and production in the short term for borates supply. Still, Putin is considering sanctions on a wide range of minerals and finished products for export.

ABR Boron Production Triples
INDUSTRY SECTORS, MINING

ABR Announces Exciting NASDAQ Listing

ABR, the Californian, US-based Boron mining company has announced its intention to list on the NASDAQ stock exchange in 2022 with a name change to 5E Advanced Materials, Inc. The NASDAQ listed entity will also support and maintain a secondary listing on the Australian Stock exchange (ASX).

Boron Minerals
Chemistry, MINING

Boron Minerals

Boron minerals are found in the Earth's crust; its various forms come from different geological structures, such as pegmatite and metamorphic rocks. The most common boron minerals include Tincal, Tincalconite, Colemanite, Kernite, Ulexite, Pandermite, Boracite, Hydroboracite, Inderite, Ascharite, Datolite, Sassolite, Meyerhofferite, Inyoite, and Probertite.

Boron in Eyewear
Company Profiles, MINING

Country Profile Boron Turkey

Country Profile - Boron Turkey: Evidence of borates mining has been found dating back to Roman times in Turkey. Turkey is the world’s largest producer with 73% of the world's total boron reserves. The largest tincal deposit is the Kirka deposit at Eskisehir. Bigadic (colemanite & ulexite), Emet(colemanite), Kestelek (colemanite, probertite & ulexite), Kirka (tincal) are the main borate-producing regions of Turkey.

Junior Lithium miners
MINING, PODCASTS

Junior Lithium Miners – Market Update

Today, we'll continue our look at a number of markets where boron and borax compounds are used, including the Boron Trifluoride Market, Potassium Fluoborate Market, the Tin Fluoborate Market, the Permanent Magnets Market, the Super Abrasives Market, the Cubic Boron Nitride Market, the Hexagonal Boron Nitride Market, the Lithium BIS Borate Market, and the Cubic Boron Nitrates Market.

A Town Called Boron
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.

US Borax - Borates
Company Profiles, MINING

Company Profile of US Borax

U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates - naturally occurring minerals containing boron. U.S. Borax supply 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from their mine in Boron, California

China Borates
Aerospace, Company Profiles, INDUSTRY SECTORS, MINING

Country Profile of China

Country Profile of China Borates - China is a net importer of borates with few natural resources. However, it still dominates in exporting finished products to global markets as the third-largest exporter. China holds only 3% of global borate reserves. China's most crucial boron minerals are tincal, borosilicate, and ascharite. Liaoning and Qinghai are the main areas with minable borate resources.

Sustainable Lithium Boron Mining
Company Profiles, MINING

Valjevo Project and Sustainable Boron, Lithium Mining

Sustainable Boron and Lithium mining: Borates and lithium are essential for decarbonisation, advanced energy, and food security. The extraction and production of these critical minerals need to respect sustainable principles to satisfy multiple stakeholders, local interest groups, and residents. A case in point is Valjevo in Serbia, where locals have successfully halted the Valjevo project until February 2022 until officials are satisfied sustainable practices will be put in place.

Boron ABR
MINING

Borates and Boron Mining

Everything You Need To Know About Borate and Boron Mining It was named for the mineral borax, thought to come from the Persian name burah for that mineral. There are over 200 minerals that contain boron, but only a few such as colemanite and borax are commercially...

ABR Appoints 2 Key Executives for US Listing

ABR Appoints 2 Key Executives for US Listing

American Pacific Borates (ABR) has just announced the appointment of two senior executives to support its value engineering activities and US listing and to maximize shareholder value through operational excellence, strategic planning, and parallel diversification initiatives. The company also has plans for a listing in the US. To bring it all to fruition, the company is in discussions with various US-based investment banks, potential US partners, and debt capital market advisors.

Boron Mining Processes

Boron Mining Processes

Boron Mining Processes: Boron is an element that naturally occurs in nature. Borates mining producers  extract boron and borates from boron-containing minerals such as colemanite, ulexite, tincal, and kernite. The bulk of known borates deposits are found in Turkey. The USA is the second largest producer. Other regions include Argentina, Chile, Russia, China, and Peru. Commercially, boron mining is attracting attention due to its strategic importance in aerospace and defence as well as in green energy and advanced energy, helped by certain boron compounds.

Country Profile of Argentina

Country Profile of Argentina

Argentina is the fifth-largest producer of natural borates. Deposits of borate can be found throughout Argentina, including in the provinces of Neuquén (Gran Chaco), Rio Negro, San Juan, and Mendoza (Cordoba). The first boric acid in Argentina was produced in 1894 at the La Plata mine when sodium tetraborate ore was extracted for the first time. The country became a major producer in 1900.

Extracting Lithium from Boron Waste

Extracting Lithium from Boron Waste

Research has revealed that lithium can be extracted from boron waste. The connection between boron waste and lithium offers opportunities to create battery-grade lithium for supply in a sustainable manner. It can be done via three-phase extraction or by simply extracting lithium from boron clay by roasting and leaching. Both Rio Tinto and Eti Maden claim to be the world's first to market with methods to extract lithium from boron.

Boron in Sports Equipment

Boron in Sports Equipment

Boron as boron fiber and boron steel has excellent tensile strength. Boron is used in sports equipment like golf clubs, fishing rods, tennis rackets, and bicycle frames. It renders them the required power, flexibility, lightness, and durability, thus, contributing to better performance. The sports goods company, Mizuno, has emerged as a leading manufacturer of sports equipment composed of boron.

Boron and Chernobyl

Boron and Chernobyl

Boron (B₁₀), which comprises about 20% of elemental boron, is one of the best neutron absorbers. It is dissolved in the cooling water of power plants to control the chain reaction, to absorb enough neutrons to remove excess reactivity in PWR plants. In both BWRs and PWRs, it is used in control rods to control reactivity and change the power shape of the core.

Boron at Fukushima

Boron at Fukushima

Boron at Fukushima: In 2011 a severe nuclear meltdown occurred in Fukushima at the atomic reactor on the coast. Authorities resorted to spreading a boron compound on the site to halt the spread of radiation. How did boron help mitigate radiation and meltdown at the time? How does it also act as an inhibitor in the nuclear rods themselves?

Podcast – Boron Demand in Military Conflict

Podcast – Boron Demand in Military Conflict

Podcast - Boron demand in military conflict. The tragic scenes unfolding on our screens daily of the conflict in Ukraine are a powerful reminder of the need for protective materials to minimise injury and fatalities among the military personnel and civilians. Military hardware requires strong, light, malleable, durable and anti-corrosive materials. Boron is a key material used in bulletproof vests, bulletproof armour, in helicopter skins and on aircraft as well as an anti-corrosive in weaponry.

Country Profile of China

Country Profile of China

Country Profile of China Borates - China is a net importer of borates with few natural resources. However, it still dominates in exporting finished products to global markets as the third-largest exporter. China holds only 3% of global borate reserves. China's most crucial boron minerals are tincal, borosilicate, and ascharite. Liaoning and Qinghai are the main areas with minable borate resources.

Boron Fibers in Aviation

Boron Fibers in Aviation

Boron fibers are used extensively in military aviation as a tape product to repair cracked aluminium aircraft skins because of their thermal properties and anti-corrosive advantages. It was first developed in the late fifties and used instead of carbon fibers that were unavailable in continuous lengths and glass fibers or with sufficient modulus. Boron fiber was the preferred product for the horizontal tail skins on the F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft and the horizontal and vertical skins and rudder on the F-15 Eagle.

Country Profile of Boron USA

Country Profile of Boron USA

Boron USA: The production of boron USA and boron extracted products in the USA is a strategic activity. Borates extraction as high-end minerals contributes to the advanced technology of industries such as aerospace and defence. They are also important to secure food supply in domestic agriculture, and contribute to decarbonisation efforts. The USA is a net importer of borates given Eti Maden’s control of supply and declining production by Rio Tinto but new sources – the Fort Cady project by ABR – will address this imbalance

Boron and U.S. Rare Earths

Boron and U.S. Rare Earths

The U.S. is boosting the stockpile of its rare earth minerals such as cobalt and lithium. Why? Partly to reduce dependence on China and partly to have a strategic policy towards rare earth sourcing and distribution. Rare earths are valuable resources used in E.V. batteries and decarbonization. What is the stance on boron and U.S. rare earths as a critical mineral?