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

Silly Putty
APPLICATIONS, SCIENCE

Silly Putty: The Role of Boron

Boron is a crucial ingredient of 'Silly Putty,' an extraordinarily complex and sophisticated molecular engineering job with multiple benefits from securing objects in space to treating injuries and using it to lift fingerprints as evidence for amateur sleuths.

Boron determination
SCIENCE

Boron Determination

The element Boron is widely used for various industrial applications. It is critical to understand multiple Boron sampling, decomposition, and determination of boron concentration and isotopic composition in a sample. Boron is a vital element for plants, animals, and varied industrial applications. It is present in lower concentrations in the animal tissues, about 1 mg B/L. However, it is an essential micronutrient for humans. Boron deficiency in plants leads to decreased growth, loss in yield, sometimes death, and it depends on the severity of the deficit. It is crucial to note that excess Boron is also toxic to living beings.

NEWS

Fluids, Fuel, Lubricants and Additives

Boron Fuel Additives

Fluids, Fuel, Lubricants and Additives - Boron has been proven to be an excellent lubricant for engine components. University of Utah researchers found that parts coated with boron had 50% less friction than others. This may result in significant fuel savings and increased engine durability. Boron should become an essential ingredient in fuels and engine technology once its potential benefits are further clarified.

Podcast – Boron Powers Space Exploration

Boron Powers Space Exploration

Podcast - Boron Powers Space Exploration. Boron is an excellent choice for rocket fuel given its ease of manufacture, availability, and low storage costs. It is also a good additive for jet fuel. Scientists at the University of California Riverside are testing ammonia borane, NH3BH3, as an alternative to traditional carbon-based chemical rocket fuels. This could lead to carbon-free space launches.

Boron Electron Valence

Boron valence electrons

Boron atomic number 5, and it generally shows 1s22s22p1 boron electronic configuration according to the Aufbau principle. Boron comes under the p-block elements, and it may show different electronic configurations based upon the valence electrons present.

Alkaline Boron – a Balancing Force in Nature

Boron - Atom

Alkaline Balancing pH is a key component to creating an environment that is healthy for life. Boron, a non-metal found harmlessly and naturally combined with oxygen as borates, helps create this balance. Boron is a key element that can be beneficial for your health as it proves to be essential for many bodily functions including bone development, energy metabolism, and cell signaling.  Studies show that it can help with balancing out acidity and alkalinity in the body by being used as a way to neutralize acids. In the home and in the environment, it is also an excellent sanitiser for a...

Borates Today Podcasts

Borates Today is now making popular articles available to listen to as podcasts. Click here to listen to our content on the go or click the link on the article ‘LISTEN TO PODCAST’ where available.

Borates Today Videos

Borates Today is now making popular articles available to watch on borates.today and on YouTube. Click the link below to learn more.

 

GUIDE TO BORON

APPLICATIONS

APPLICATIONS, Ceramic and Enamels

Borates in Ceramics

Ceramics - ceramic glazes and enamels - are applied to ceramic ware, sanitary ware, tableware, and tiles. Borates are used extensively in such enamels and ceramic glazes. Borates used include colemanite, ulexite, and several specialty borates, which provide efficient production and protection against the elements to the finished products.

CHEMISTRY

Chemistry, Pharmaceuticals, SCIENCE

Overview of Boron Phosphide

Boron Phosphide is a chemical compound of boron and phosphorus. It is a semiconductor with high thermal and chemical stability, useful in high-power applications. Van der Waals heterostructures (vdW) are promising structures for future optoelectronic devices. Recent studies on vdW heterostructures investigated the electronic and optical properties of boron phosphide heterostructures in the framework of density functional theory (DFT) and tight-binding (TB) approximations.

RESEARCH

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.

BENEFITS

APPLICATIONS, BENEFITS

Boronated Fiberglass

Boronated Fiberglass is a new, safe alternative to fiberglass. It is a type of borosilicate glass that has been chemically treated with the element Boron. This material was invented in Japan, and it’s been getting a lot of attention from construction companies. Especially those looking for ways to make their buildings safer after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake are showing a keen interest.

MINING BORON & BORATES

MINING

ADVANCED ENERGY, MINING, PODCASTS

Podcast – Boron Markets Ultimate Guide Part 2

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.

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.

INDUSTRY SECTORS, MINING

The Boron Value Chain

Borates are boron containing compounds that offer many benefits to industries like construction, electronics, and water treatment. They are also useful in food processing and agriculture as a fertilizer or pesticide. There is scope to explore the value chain of borates from extraction to distribution. What does it take to create/enhance the value of borate products in different markets and applications?

INVEST IN BORON

INVEST IN BORON, MINING

Boron Joins the Rare Earths Club

Rare Earth elements are valuable because they have magnetic and optical properties which create technologies in components such as audio speakers, hard drives, camera lenses, MRI imaging, and monitors of all sorts. But there is a cost to mining them as post-mining purification processes create hazardous waste. Boron is a potential alternative, providing clean and superconductive, energy-efficient benefits while being cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

PLANET BORON

DECARBONIZATION

DECARBONIZATION

Decarbonization – Special Report

What is Decarbonization Decarbonization is akey topic in Climate Change initiatives the process of reducing the amount or concentration of carbon in certain substances. This can be done by removing all traces, forms and quantities from a gas, liquid or solid...

ADVANCED ENERGY

ADVANCED ENERGY

Food Hunger and Boron

Food Hunger and Boron: In 2020, between 720 and 811 million people faced hunger. In a world of plenty, where enough food is produced to feed everyone on the planet, hunger should be a thing of the past. However, conflict, climate change, disasters, inequality, and – most recently – the COVID-19 pandemic means one in nine people globally is still going to bed hungry, and famine looms for millions, states the World Food Programme (WFP). Boron can help to dramatically improve food yields and is a vital micronutrient in human health.

FOOD SECURITY

FOOD SECURITY

Boron and Food Security Utilization

Food Utilization, or food metabolization, is one of three drivers of Food Security (the other two being Availability and Accessibility). Food Utilization is all about the ability of animals and humans to use and benefit from nutrients in their food either through absorption or intake via the proper natural consumption of food.

FOOD SECURITY, MICRONUTRIENTS

Ensuring Micronutrient Boron Supply

Famine is a natural disaster that occurs in underdeveloped countries, famine areas, and war-torn regions. In these regions, micronutrients such as boron are scarce or unavailable to the local population. The lack of micronutrients leads to malnutrition which can cause poverty and other issues such as disease and death. Here is a discussion on the importance of micronutrients for famine relief efforts. Check out their benefits for mental health, physical health, and economic development.

MICRONUTRIENTS