Main uses and applications

Boron does not occur naturally in its elemental state but combines with other elements to form boric oxides, or borates (inorganic salts), with colemanite, kernite, ulexite and tincal accounting for 90 percent of borate sources¹. Boron is a semiconductor in its pure elemental state, but as it is relatively brittle it has few commercial uses in its pure crystalline form². However, boron compounds, particularly borates, are commercially useful and the primary focus of this profile.

According to the US Geological Survey, borates are used in more than 300 applications – most commonly in ceramics, detergents, fertilisers, and glass³. Insulation fibreglass reportedly accounts for the largest single use of borates, although borates are also a component of textiles fibreglass. In these products, borates are used as a flux and to lower glass batch melting temperatures. When borates are combined with zinc, they can be used as a flame retardant in polymers including electrical parts, car interiors and carpeting⁴. Similarly, borosilicate glass is heat and scratch resistant and has a wide range of applications, including in industrial products and consumer goods such as cookware, smartphones, tablets and televisions.

According to the European Commission report on critical raw materials, borosilicate glasses are gaining importance in solar thermal heating in domestic and industrial technologies. In addition, glass wool, with high-performance glazing, can enable substantial energy savings from building.⁵