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Borates in Energy

Powering sustainability

To meet global needs, we must increase the efficiency of our energy consumption and optimize the capacity of existing and emerging energy sources. U.S. Borax is integral to sustainable energy. Whether on the oil field, in the nuclear plant, or across the wind farm, our innovative technologies and borate products help make energy safer, more efficient, and more affordable. 

Sustainable energy

 Sustainable energy production and storage 

Solar and wind energy depend on strong, durable materials. U.S. Borax products help enable these technologies: 

  • In solar thermal heating applications, borosilicate glass helps focus and capture solar energy. 

  • Textile fiberglass made with borates is important in the creation of wind turbines, and borates are a part of the high-power magnets that are used in turbine generator systems. 

  • Whether in electric vehicles or large scale energy systems, batteries and capacitors are necessary for energy storage. You can find borate compounds in a number of a batteries lifecycle stages. 

Powered by boron

Strengthening infrastructure

Around the world, borate-based chemicals are important to modern oil field operation and recovery as well as the safe and efficient production of nuclear power. 

  • The reaction of borates with certain alcohols and carbohydrates produce adhesives and fluids that are used in oil recovery. 

  • As an anticorrosive, borates are used to help protect industrial water systems. 

  • Borates can capture thermal neutrons resulting from the fission reaction of uranium nuclear fuel. This ability makes borates an essential ingredient in the control and safety of nuclear pressurized water reactors. 

  • Elsewhere in nuclear power plants, boron carbide and borates are used for control rods, corrosion inhibition, and emergency shutdown systems. 

Borosilicate glass

Improving efficiency

Borates are used in the production of fire-resistant, high-efficiency insulation and innovative building materials, helping save fuel and energy so that we can make effective use of our natural resources. 

  • Borates are used in ceramic tiles and are essential in insulation fiberglass to help improve energy efficiency and decrease heating and cooling costs. 

  • As a natural biocide, borates help to control damaging insects, fungi, and bacteria—allowing us to make more efficient use of wood products in construction. 

  • Borates are used to stabilize metallurgical slags, helping to keep them out of landfills and encouraging reuse.

BORATES AT WORK

Learn more about borates' applications in energy.

Boron in Solar Energy: Powering Efficiency
Solar power offers exciting potential as a clean and endless energy source. Yet scaling it will require more efficient and durable products for harnessing the... Read More
New Literature Review Highlights Benefits of Boron in Lithium Batteries
Learn more about a recently published peer-reviewed paper from a U.S. Borax researcher on the benefits of using boron compounds in lithium batteries. Read More
Powdered Borates: Specialty Grades for Specialty Applications
Businesses with specialty applications require a special solution: U.S. Borax powders. Our powders contain extremely small particles, but they offer big benef... Learn More

U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates—naturally-occurring minerals containing boron and other elements. We are 1,000 people serving 650 customers with more than 1,800 delivery locations globally. We supply around 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from our world-class mine in Boron, California, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.  Learn more about Rio Tinto.

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