Today we're going to look at how boron makes its presence felt everywhere.
It's found abundantly in nature. It's found in the soil. It's essential as a mineral for animals and humans, and it has many applications in households and in industry.
Transcripts
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Welcome back to the Borates Today podcast.
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Each week we cover news on boron and borates that's relevant to the
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industry and timely with a range of topics, including the latest
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industry news, we answer questions about the key players in the sector.
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What are the trends driving demand and supply boron?
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the science behind boron?
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Who's doing valuable research into new boron applications and benefits?
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How does boron help in decarbonisation, In food security, and in providingnutrition?
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So don't forget to check out boron applications and benefits
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borates.today
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Today we're going to look at how boron makes its presence felt everywhere.
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It's found abundantly in nature.
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It's found in the soil.
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It's essential as a mineral for animals and humans and it has many applications
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in households and in industry.
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First let's look at born in nature.
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Boron is a natural element found in the air we breathe
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and controls acidity levels.
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In nature, boron compounds are almost exclusively found as minerals or
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salts formed by water interacting with various mosses, algae fungi and
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bacteria growing on the earth's surface.
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Borate ions have been found in freshwater environments, such as
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lakes, which help make the water supply safe by balancing the pH.
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Borax helps control diseases such as malaria by fighting
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protozoan parasites that cause it.
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In nature, it's found combined with oxygen and other natural elements forming several
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different compounds called borates.
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Boron is also an essential constituent for plants, animals, and humans.
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The element is found in trace quantities up to 0.05% by weight, in plant
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tissues with higher concentration levels occurring more often near
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surfaces, which can balance the acidity and basicity in all these
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organisms by functioning as a buffer.
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A buffer solution is a solution that resists changes in pH
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or keeps the concentration of hydrogen ions at a constant level.
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In the soil, the amount borate anion helps balance acidity and alkalinity.
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Boron is used to make a range of products in agriculture, from
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fertilizers, for the soil and pesticides.
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The availability or solubility of boron is pH dependent.
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And boron deficiency is a problem in alkaline soils as boron
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compounds, precipitate onto the soil thus reducing availability.
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And boron is easily leached from the soil and is the most commonly
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deficient soil micronutrient.
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As for its role in humans, the notion of boron being essential for animals
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and humans is still controversial.
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However, the consumption of foods high in dibasic acid has been associated
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with improved bone health in elderly populations, leading to the healthy
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functioning of their bodies, because it's used for the production of
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collagen and mucopolysaccharides.
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Boron also acts as a buffer in the human organism.
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And as a result, it's considered to be an essential nutrient.
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An alkaline diet, rich in fruit and vegetables has been shown to reduce
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the risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, mellitus type two, cancer, including
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prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
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Boron also has beneficial effects on human health, such as preventing the growth
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of cancer cells and stimulating bone building, reducing inflammation that's
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associated with arthritis and pain relief.
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Along with other key nutrients like magnesium and calcium born
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affects hormone levels that are necessary for healthy bones.
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It helps decrease seizures and epileptics by altering neurotransmitter
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levels within the brain.
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It can be seen as a buffer against the effects of sodium
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and calcium on nerve cells.
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It connects brain function with mood, sleep patterns, learning
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ability and mental performance.
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What's also interesting is that boron has found in certain plants such as
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almonds, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cabbage family vegetables, including
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cauliflower, garlic and fruits as well, such as apples and pears.
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In the household.
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For X has many uses in the home.
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It can be used as a cleaning agent for bathroom surfaces because of its natural
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antibacterial properties, mixed with salt to make a liquid chlorine bleach.
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Boron forms an excellent component of household cleaners, soaps,
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detergents, and laundry products.
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In industry boron has multiple applications.
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It's an extremely hard refractory solid with a high melting point, low density
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and very low electrical conductivity.
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It has many applications in the industrial sector due to properties
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like corrosion resistance and hardness.
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The amount of Boyd anion is greater and more alkaline or higher pH solutions
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as it is predominantly a univalent ion.
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It's used as a coaching, for example, for jet engine blades
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to protect them from corrosion.
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Boron compounds are also used in producing nuclear weapons and
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other military applications such as armor-piercing shells and rifle bullets.
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Boron fibers are used to making bulletproof vests as it's difficult to
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penetrate and also finds application and producing high performance ceramics,
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can be found in various industrial lubricants, such as lithium Bora hydrate.
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The boron 10 isotope can absorb neutrons.
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Therefore metal borides are used in the nuclear industry as
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protective shields and control rods.
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One of the main industrial applications of borax and boric acid is in the
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manufacturer of heat resistant glasses or glass such as Pyrex.
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It's also used in glass wool and fiberglass as they form borosilicate
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glass and are used as fluxing agents in the production of high-purity metals.
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And that's all from borates today.
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For more information on boron and borates anfd borax, please refer
