Boron minerals are natural compounds containing boron oxide in different proportions. There are 230 different boron minerals in the nature. The most important boron minerals in commercial terms are; Tincal, Colemanite, Kernite, Ulexite, Pandermite, Boracite, Szaybelite and Hydroboracite. The main boron minerals transformed by Eti Maden, the World Boron Leader, into high value added products in international quality standards are; Tincal, Colemanite and Ulexite.
Major Boron Minerals with Commercial Importance
| Kernite | Na2B407.4H2O |
| Tincalconite | Na2B407.5H2O |
| Tincal | Na2B407.10H2O |
| Probertite | NaCaB509.5H2O |
| Ulexite | NaCaB509.8H2O |
| Colemanite | Ca2B6O11.5H2O |
| Meyerhofferite | Ca2B6O11.7H2O |
| Inyoite | Ca2B6O11. 13H2O |
| Pandermite | Ca4B10O19.7H2O |
| Inderite | Mg2B6O11.15H2O |
| Hydroboracite | CaMgB6O11.6H2O |
| Boracite | Mg3B7O13Cl |
| Ascharite | Mg2B2O5.H2O |
| Datolite | Ca2B2Si2O9.H2O |
| Sassolite (natural boric acid) |
Boron minerals that are made valuable by Eti Maden using various mining methods are enriched by physical processes and converted into concentrated boron products. Subsequently, by refining in Eti Maden’s facilities at global standards and by transforming into highly efficient, profitable and sustainable boron products, it is used in many fields of industry especially in glass, ceramics, agriculture, detergent and cleaning industries.
Eti Maden, designing the future of boron, is widening its product portfolio according to the past years. Eti Maden, which currently has 17 refined boron products in its product portfolio, possess both product variety and products with different spectral values. Primary refined boron products are; Etibor-48, Borax Pentahydrate Borax Decahydrate, Boric Acid, Etidot-67, Etibor-68, Anhydrous Borax, Zinc Borate, Boron Oxide, Ground Colemanite and Ground Ulexite.
It is aimed to widen the use areas of boron products through the R&D works carried out by Eti Maden. There are plans for works on increasing the usage of boron products in; space and air vehicles, nuclear applications, military vehicles, fuels, electronics and communication sector, polymeric materials, nanotechnologies, automotive and energy sectors, metallurgy and construction.
Etimatik, a boron cleaning product developed within the scope of Eti Maden’s R&D studies, is a cleaning product sensitive to natural, domestic, herbal soap content, that doesn’t consist petro – chemical products and environment. In addition, with the Etidot-67 product, which plays an important role in the development of plants for the agriculture sector; the development of boron agricultural products continues.