Borates power up energy efficiency efforts
Energy efficiency is a significant concern for consumers and businesses alike. From construction to energy production and industrial manufacturing, borates help reduce energy consumption and lower energy-related costs.
Ready to learn how borates can help save money and reduce energy use?
In residential and commercial settings, borates improve energy-efficient building materials and make sustainable building easier. Used in insulating materials—including cellulose and glass wool insulation, polymers, and ceramic tiles—as well as wood products, borates improve energy efficiency—and cost—throughout the lifecycle of the materials.
Insulation
One of the primary cost-effective ways to save energy and reduce global CO2 emissions in buildings is insulation. Cellulosic materials are used for thermal insulations that improve energy efficiency. Borates are added during the manufacturing process because they are extremely effective at strengthening insulation’s core function: Reducing heat transfer (greater R-Value). Plus, borates provide flame retardancy and biocide protection in cellulosic materials.
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Glass wool insulation also saves energy by preventing heat loss. Here, too, borates play an important role. First, they reduce energy consumption in the manufacture of glass wool. Borates act as a powerful flux, lowering glass batch-melting temperatures and controlling the relationship between temperature, melt viscosity, and surface tension. The result is optimal glass fiberization: Short, strong fibers that are resistant to water and chemicals. Plus, the fibers are biosoluble making the installation process not just better for the environment but safer for construction employees as well.
Finally, because borates absorb infrared radiation, their incorporation into building products such as polymers, plastics, and coatings helps to prevent heat loss through infrared transmission, improving energy efficiency.
Wood construction
By protecting treated timber, borates also enable wood construction, even in areas with high humidity. Wooden buildings have been shown to produce a roughly 40% reduction in CO2, compared to concrete and steel construction.
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Solar and wind
Solar power can be a clean and endless energy source. Yet scaling it requires more efficient and durable products for harnessing the sun’s power. Borates help improve the performance and increase the lifespan of solar energy products. They are used in the borosilicate glass that helps to capture energy in solar thermal heating applications.
Learn more about boron in solar energyBorates are also used to produce the textile fiberglass and high-power magnets used in wind turbines and turbine generator systems.
Learn how boron helps stabilize magnets
Nuclear
Nuclear energy requires ultimate precision and control. Without it, a nuclear power plant’s safety may be compromised. In nuclear power plants, borates are essential to maintain this safety and control in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and boiling water reactors. Borates aid in the capture of thermal neutrons, contributing to the shielding, control, and safety of nuclear reactors. Boron is also used in the specialized cement used to construct nuclear power plants.
Boron in nuclear plants
Batteries
More and more often, global efforts are being focused on reducing emissions. And, companies are always looking for ways to improve energy storage, particularly for mobile applications. Borates are an important part of these efforts, thanks to their benefits for lithium-ion batteries. Borates contribute to improvements in battery applications, including:
Surface treatment of graphite anodes
Catalyzing synthesis of graphite
Electrolyte additives
In lithium-ion batteries, borate compounds improve performance and safety by decreasing the decomposition reactions of the anode and cathode. Borates also improve both anodes and electrolytes in high-power applications such as hybrid electric vehicles . When applied to the anode or used in electrolytes, borates improve the surface interface. When used to modify the surface of graphite in certain conditions, borates can help to increase rate capability, life cycle, and capacity. Borates are also used in formulations and manufacturing of certain electrical capacitors and supercapacitors.
Borates contribute to improved recycling and reduction of waste products in various manufacturing industries.
In the wood industry, the biocidal and flame retardancy roles of borates enable the economical use of waste wood fibers. As a result, fibers that would otherwise be considered low value or waste can now be used as economical, efficient, and environmentally sustainable building materials that meet the high standards of today's manufacturing and construction industries. Borates also enable the use of wood fibers that would otherwise be rejected because of vulnerability to insect infestation, rot, or flammability.
Glass manufacturing is still an inherently carbon-intensive process. In glass manufacturing, as in glass wool production, borates reduce melt temperature into a more energy-efficient range. And, they can also play an important role in using circular raw materials for sustainable glassmaking.
Find out how to partner with us to reduce Scope 3 Emissions.
Learn moreIn glass production, the use of refined borates such as Dehybor® anhydrous borax help reduce energy consumption. Compared to boron products with crystal water, anhydrous borates thermodynamically require less energy to melt. In addition, they cost less to transport because they weigh less than their counterparts.
See how different products stack up to protect and enhance glassmaking.
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At our Boron, California operations, we strive to minimize our use of water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our efforts include:
Our work toward sustainability has earned U.S. Borax multiple Solid Waste Reduction Awards from the California Integrated Waste Management Board.
