BORON MINERALS Indian Minerals Yearbook 2017 (Part- III : Mineral Reviews) 56th Edition BORON MINERALS (ADVANCE RELEASE) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines, NAGPUR – 440 001 PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471 PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648 E-MAIL : [email protected] Website: www.ibm.gov.in February, 2018 4-1 BORON MINERALS 4 Boron Minerals oron minerals occur mostly as borates which ferrous wire manufacture, flame-proofing and Bare deposited from volcanic gases or hot timber preservation. springs near volcanic activities. The deposits, predominantly of borax and sassolite are formed Borax is used as a flux in brazing, welding, as a result of drying up of shallow saline and soldering and in the manufacture of artificial gems alkaline tertiary lakes called 'Playa'. The principal like, cubic boron nitride, (commercially called boron minerals are borax, hydrated sodium borate 'Borazon') which is equal to diamond in hardness and boron carbide, titanium boride and tungsten (Na2O.2B2O3.10H2O), kernite (rasorite), hydrated boride which are next to diamond in hardness. sodium borate (Na2O.2B2O3.4H2O), colemanite, hydrated calcium borate (Ca B O .5H O), and 2 6 11 2 Its easy solubility and property to soften hard ulexite, hydrated sodium calcium borate water find applications in soaps, cleaners & (NaCaB5O9.8H2O). Besides, the above four boron minerals of commercial importance, two minerals, detergents and for water treatment. Because of its mild alkalinity and germicidal nature, it is used viz., sassolite (H3BO3), the natural boric acid and boracite (Mg B O Cl) are less important. in manufacturing toothpastes and mouth washes. 3 7 13 Borax is used as an antiseptic and emulsifying Borax is, presently, not produced in India. agent in cosmetics industry. As a decolourising However, it was obtained since ancient times from the agent, it is used in vanaspati industry. In textile Lakes in Jammu & Kashmir in India. The domestic industry, borax is used as a decolourising agent requirements of boron minerals are met solely as well as for maintaining the alkalinity of solutions through imports of crude borate which is refined used for producing rayons. It prevents mould in the country for producing borax and boric acid. formation in citrus fruits. In agriculture, borax is RESERVES/RESOURCES used as an essential plant nutrient. Economically viable deposits of borax have Boron compounds are used for fertilizers, not been established in the country so far. The algicides, herbicides and insecticides. Borax and only deposit of little economic significance is boric acid are used in fire-retardant treatment and reported from Puga Valley in Leh district, Jammu as food grain preservative, respectively. & Kashmir. As per NMI data, based on UNFC system, total reserves/resources of borax as on Borate ester is used as dehydrating agent, 1.4.2015, have been estimated at 74,204 tonnes in special solvent and catalyst in chemical industry. Jammu & Kashmir. All resources are of In nuclear reactor, boron acts as neutron absorber. reconnaissance category viz., UNFC Code 334. "Boron neutron capture therapy", a form of Occurrences are also reported from Surendranagar radiochemotherapy, is becoming increasingly district, Gujarat and Nagaur district, Rajasthan. important for treatment of certain forms of cancers The bittern obtained from Sambar Lake in Jaipur and boron neutron capture synovectomy for district, Rajasthan, also contains about 0.5% borax treatment of arthritis. (Table-1). Borates are consumed mainly in glass fibre USES for insulations and textile-grade fibre. They are Glass and porcelain industries are the major also used as anti-knock agents in gasoline. consumers of borax and boric acid. It is an Diborane (gas), pentaborane (liquid) and essential component of heat-resisting boro- decaborane (solid) are potential jet and rocket silicate glass, glass fibres and industrial & optical engine fuels. Boron hydride also has potential glass. In glass, enamels and ceramics, it controls value as rocket fuel. The high energy fuel value thermal expansion, improves durability, assists imparted by the addition of boron compounds has melting processes and adds to inorganic colours given considerable strategic significance to and decorations. borates. Another use of borates is the invention Borax is used in medicine (boric powder), of oxgano-sodium borate (liquibor) for use leather processing, adhesive, corrosion inhibition, in hydraulic brake fluids. 4-2 Table – 1 : Reserves/Resources of Borax as on 1.4.2015 (By Grades/States) (In tonnes) Reserves Remaining Resources Total Grade/State Total Pre-feasibility Measured Indicated Inferred Reconnaissance Total Resources (A) STD221 STD331 STD332 STD333 STD334 (B) (A+B) All India : Total - ---- 74204 74204 74204 By Gades Unclassified ----- 74204 74204 74204 BORON MINERALS By States Jammu & Kashmir ----- 74204 74204 74204 4-3 Figures rounded off. BORON MINERALS Substitutes Crude calcium borate lumps are crushed and wet- Substitutes in applications such as soaps, ground with mother liquor to make slurry. This slurry detergents, enamels and insulations are available. is decomposed with sulphuric acid to give calcium In detergents, boron compounds can be replaced sulphate and boric acid. Boric acid is separated by with chlorine and enzymes. Lithium compounds filtration, purified, cooled and centrifuged to produce can be used to make enamels and glass products. boric acid granules which are powdered as per Insulation substitutes include cellulose, foams and demand. mineral wools. Substitution of borosilicate glass by plastic materials may reduce the use of boron. Borax Morarji Ltd, Ambernath, Thane district, Sodium percarbonate can replace borates in Maharashtra, is engaged in refining of imported crude detergents and requires lower temperatures to borates to produce borax and boric acid. The annual undergo hydrolysis, which is an environmental production capacity for all grades of Borax and Boric consideration. Some enamels can use other glass- Acid are 24,000 MT at Dahej, GIDC in the state of producing substances, such as phosphates. In Gujarat. National Peroxide Limited, Vadavali, Kalyan soaps, sodium and potassium salts of fatty acids district, Maharashtra, produces sodium perborate can act as cleaning and emulsifying agents. which is used as a bleaching agent. National Peroxide Limited (NPL) is the manufacturer of hydrogen Technical Possibilities peroxide in India, with an installed capacity of 95,000 A proprietary process called 'Hydrogen MTPA. Indo Borax and Chemical Limited operates borax on Demand' has been developed using water and boric acid plants at Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. and sodium borohydride. Hydrogen from the system can be used in fuel cells or internal Ferro-boron is a boron ferro-alloy containing 0.2% combustion engines. A longer-life battery to 24% boron used primarily to introduce small quantities based on boron has also been designed. of boron into speciality steels. Domestic production Synthetic diamond containing about 3% boron of ferro-boron was 42 tonnes in 2014-15 and data for which is normally a semiconductor becomes 2015-16 is not available. superconductor at 4 K. Boron-doped diamond, thus, has numerous possible applications as it can CONSUMPTION carry electricity without resistance. The consumption of borax in the organised Improvements made in evaporating brine sector in 2015-16 remained at the same level as in solutions are widening the choice of source. 2014-15 i.e. at 23,100 tonnes. Chemical and glass Production of boric acid through solution mining industries were the major consumers accounting of colemanite is a possibility. for about 93% borax consumption (Table-2). Environmental Concern Natural borates are not very toxic to animals but can be toxic to plants even though low levels Table – 2 : Estimated Consumption* of Borax, of boron are essential for plant life. Boron- 2013-14 to 2015-16 hydrogen compounds known as boranes (By Industries) which do not occur in nature are highly toxic and (In tonnes) have posed problems in some industrial applications. Environmental concerns have Industry 2013-14 (R) 2014-15 (R) 2015-16 (P) hastened substitution in soaps and detergents. All Industries 22900 23100 23100 In Europe, borates continue to be listed under hazardous substances and the risk evaluated for Ceramic 800 800 800 their safety under conditions of normal handling Chemical 19900 19900 19900 and use related to classification and labelling Glass 1400 1600 1600 already exists. The US Food and Nutrition Board Graphite products 100 100 100 announced that the essentiality data on boron Others (abrasive, 700 700 700 was adequate to establish a daily tolerable cosmetics, paint, Upper Intake Level for an adult at 20 mg boron. paper, pharmaceutical, refractory, textile INDUSTRY and vanaspati) In borax manufacturing process, crude sodium Figures rounded off. borate is dissolved in water, charged, oxidised, * Includes actual reported consumption and/or estimates crystallised and centrifuged. Centrifuged material is made wherever required and due to paucity of data, then dried to get borax decahydrate. coverage may not be complete. 4-4 BORON MINERALS WORLD REVIEW produced various grades and sizes of natural boron The estimated world reserves of boron minerals. MSR exported 97% of its mined borates to minerals are about 1100 million tonnes in terms of 30 countries through the Port of Buenos Aires and boric oxide. Countries with sizeable resources