Railing salt mined from the Chaka salt lake of
Qinghai province, China; also an important boron
minerals resource but development is restricted
by poor transport and poor mining conditions.
Panoramio
Boron minerals are mainly used to produce borax, boric acid, various boron compounds and elemental boron.
These derivatives are important chemical raw materials used in a range of sectors such as metallurgy, construction materials, chemicals, nuclear technology, medicine, and agriculture.
Even though China is comparatively rich in boron resources (see panel), boron mineral products are far from meeting the demands of domestic markets.
In 2007, China’s boron mineral production capacity was 145,000 tonnes and borax production capacity was 400,000 tonnes. However, imported boron products amounted to 648,700 tonnes.
The key issue that needs addressing is the fact that China’s richest boron mineral resource is becoming exhausted, and is now in a stage of dilution....