Borate deposits: An overview and future forecast with regard to mineral deposits

Year 2017, Volume: 2 Issue: 2, 59 - 70, 25.09.2017

Cahit Helvacı

Abstract

The element boron does not exist
by itself in nature, it occurs in combination with oxygen and other elements in
salts, commonly called “borates”. Over 250 boron-bearing minerals have been
identified, the most common being sodium, calcium, or magnesium salts. Boron is a rare element in the nature
(average content in the Earth’s crust is 10 ppm), but extraordinary
concentrations can be found in certain places. The formation of borate deposits
can be summarized as follows; (1) a skarn group associated with intrusive and
consisting of silicates and iron oxides; (2) a magnesium oxide group hosted by
marine evaporitic sediments; (3) a sodium– and calcium–borate hydrates group
associated with lacustrine (playa lake) sediments and explosive volcanic
activity.

Borate is defined as any compound
that contains or supplies boric oxide (B₂O₃). A large
number of minerals contain boric oxide, but the four that are most important
from a worldwide commercial standpoint which are borax, kernite, ulexite, and
colemanite. These are produced in a limited number of countries, and Turkey has
largest borax, ulexite and colemanite reserves in the world. All the countries
are dependent upon colemanite and ulexite reserves of Turkey.

Borate exploration consists of
detailed prospecting of favorable areas followed by drilling, and uses all the
tools available to the exploration geologist. Most of the world’s commercial
borate deposits are mined by open pit methods. Brines from Searles Lake, and
presumably the Chinese sources, are recovered by either controlled evaporation
or carbonation. Boric acid is one of the final products produced from most of
the processes.

Detail mineralogical and advanced
chemical data on the individual borate minerals and associated minerals (such
as clay and lithium minerals) will increase the knowledge of borate
end-products and their incomes as well as creating new gateways to the high
technology and research on the borate minerals. These types studies will be
extremely important for borate and related mineral industry.

Very few modern industries can
get by without borates, and very few people can get by without their products.
When you consider the role boron plays in plant life, and by extension, all
life, it’s hard to imagine our world without it. Therefore, borates and their
products could be one of the main topics for sustainable development in whole
world.

Keywords

Borate Basins, Borate Deposits, Borate Formation, Overview of Deposits, Future Forecast

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