Boron in Every Aspect of Life
- Boron products transformed into high value-added products by Eti Maden, have a widespread use in conjunction with ongoing R&D work. Borates are used in construction and cement industry for strengthening and in insulation materials for improving minimzation of heat transmission. Insulation materials containing borates make the structures more robust and heat resistant and are used in making lightweight and low cost products.
- In nuclear applications, boron steels, boron carbides and titanboron alloys are extensively used in atomic reactors. It is used as a neutron absorbent through boron enriched steel which is very resistant to rusting. Approximately every boron atom absorbs a neutron. Borates are also used for control system of atomic reactors and cooling pools and reactors alarm closing. Colemanite is also used for storage of nuclear wastes.
- In the automobile industry boron is used in making airbags and antifreeze. For airbags, it is used to ensure immediate inflation. At the time of impact, the mixture of elemental boron and potassium nitrate is activated by electronic sensor. Once the system is activated; the total time the airbags should be in motion is 40 milliseconds. It is also used as antifreeze and in hydraulic systems in automobiles.
- Borates are widely used in missiles and flight fuels. It is used as fuel additive material in special applications.
- In solid and cell fuels, R&D studies on producing energy from sodium borohydride are continuing. Hydrogen is present in the sodium borohydride chemical bonds and the catalyst releases hydrogen. The basic principle in this production is the reaction of water with borax. Hydrogen produced from this reaction can be fed directly to internal combustion engines or may also be used in cell fuels.
- Also, boron products are preferred in a number of areas such as fiber optics, cosmetics, rubber and plastic industries, photography, fireworks and similar explosive substances, oil paints, sands and abrasives, composite materials, magnetic devices, advanced technology researches and mummification.
