# Boron: Extraction

Why boron deposits need both volcanoes and deserts

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/extraction/

What this tab covers How it is mined, drilled or grown, and processed into a tradeable form: the main methods compared, their unit economics, by-products, and the companies that do this work globally and in India.

Boron never occurs as an element in nature. It is mined as borates, which form where volcanic activity meets arid climates. The largest deposits are in California's Mojave Desert, the Alpide belt through Turkey, and the Andean belt. Four minerals, colemanite, kernite, tincal and ulexite, make up 90% of what industry uses. Ores are dug in open pits and refined into borax and boric acid. Two US companies also solution-mine brines. Products are priced by boric oxide (B2O3) content.

Boron never occurs as an element. It is mined as borate minerals or recovered from borate-rich brines, then sold as concentrates, refined borax or boric acid, all priced on boric oxide (B2O3) content. Most supply comes from big open pits in Turkey and California. South American salars supply ulexite. A new route is boron as a co-product of lithium mining in Nevada and Serbia, which could tie boron supply to lithium prices.

#### Methods compared

| Method | Share of supply | Typical scale | Recovery / efficiency | By-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Open-pit borate mining and refining (Turkey, US)** | Turkey 1,500 kt of refined borates in 2025, the largest producer; US output withheld (USGS 2026); Turkey had 62% of the global boron market in 2022 (Turkish energy minister via Hurriyet Daily News) | Eti Maden processed 2.65 Mt in 2022 at 95% of capacity (Hurriyet Daily News, Dec 2022) | n/a | None significant | n/a |
| **Solution mining and brine recovery (California)** | part of withheld US output (USGS 2026) | n/a | n/a | soda ash, salt, sodium sulphate (USGS soda ash chapter) | n/a |
| **Andean salar ulexite and crude borates (Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Peru)** | Bolivia 380 kt ulexite, Chile 300 kt ulexite, Peru 220 kt crude borates, Argentina 170 kt crude ore in 2025 (USGS) | n/a | n/a | Sometimes lithium and potash brines in the same salars | n/a |
| **Boron as a co-product of lithium projects (in development)** | none yet | Jadar about 286 kt boric acid a year at full production; the Nevada project about 170 kt boric acid a year with a 95-year life (USGS 2026) | n/a | Lithium carbonate is the main product | n/a |

#### How each method works
**Open-pit borate mining and refining (Turkey, US)**

Large pits work colemanite (Turkey), and tincal and kernite (California). Ore is crushed and concentrated, then dissolved, filtered and recrystallised into refined borates or reacted with acid to make boric acid. Plants sit beside the mines, so the miners sell high-value refined products rather than ore.

Huge, high-grade deposits and integrated refineries; supply concentrated in one state company.
 USGS MCS 2026; Hurriyet Daily News, Dec 2022 **Solution mining and brine recovery (California)**

Two US companies extract borate-rich brines by solution mining, for example from Searles Lake, and crystallise borax and boric acid. At Searles Lake, borax is produced alongside soda ash, salt and sodium sulphate.

Co-production spreads costs; limited to a few brine bodies.
 USGS MCS 2026 (Boron; Soda ash) **Andean salar ulexite and crude borates (Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Peru)**

Ulexite crusts are dug from dry salt flats with simple earthmoving, dried in the sun and sold as crude ore or upgraded to boric acid. Much goes to Brazil and China for fertiliser and ceramics.

Low capital and shallow deposits; lower grades and variable quality.
 USGS MCS 2026 **Boron as a co-product of lithium projects (in development)**

Clay or sediment-hosted deposits containing both lithium and boron are leached, and boric acid is crystallised alongside lithium carbonate. Rio Tinto's Jadar in Serbia and a Nevada project are the main examples.

Diversifies supply away from Turkey; timing depends on lithium prices (Nevada construction delayed after an 80% lithium price fall).
 USGS MCS 2026 Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs vary widely by deposit, region and year.

#### By-product supply

Today boron is a primary product. That may change: Jadar (Serbia) and a Nevada lithium-boron project would together add about 456 kt a year of boric acid as co-products of lithium (USGS 2026), so part of future boron supply would follow lithium investment decisions.

#### Share produced as a by-product
 About 5% of primary supply comes as a by-product (Nassar, Graedel & Harper 2015, approximate).

#### Who does it: global

| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Eti Maden** Latest company volume found is for 2022. | Turkey | state miner and refiner (colemanite, tincal, ulexite; borax, boric acid) | 2.65 Mt processed | 2022 | [Hurriyet Daily News, 30 Dec 2022 (record $1.3 billion export revenue)](https://hurriyetdailynews.com/boron-exports-hit-record-1-3-billion-minister-179707) |
| **Rio Tinto (Borates, Boron, California)** Volume not published in the sections reviewed; US output is withheld by USGS. | UK / Australia (US operation) | open-pit mine and refinery | not published | 2025 | [Rio Tinto 2025 Form 20-F: Borates business placed under strategic review in 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/863064/000162828026009531/rio-20251231.htm) |
| **Rio Tinto (Jadar project)** Planned capacity, not output. | Serbia | planned lithium-borate mine | 286 kt boric acid/yr planned | planned | [USGS MCS 2026 (EU strategic project, June 2025)](https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/boron-statistics-and-information) |
| **Nevada lithium-boron project (Australia-based developer)** USGS does not name the developer; planned capacity, not output. | US | planned lithium mine with boric acid co-product | 170 kt boric acid/yr planned | planned (construction delayed to March 2026) | [USGS MCS 2026](https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/boron-statistics-and-information) |
| **Bolivian ulexite producers** Company volumes not published; national figure. | Bolivia | salar ulexite mining | 380 kt ulexite (national output) | 2025 | [USGS MCS 2026](https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/boron-statistics-and-information) |
| **Chinese borate producers** Company volumes not published; China has low-grade reserves (9,100 kt) and relies on imports. | China | mining of low-grade borates and brines | 230 kt boric oxide equivalent (national output) | 2025 | [USGS MCS 2026](https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/boron-statistics-and-information) |

#### Who does it: India

India has no borate production listed by USGS (2026). It imports natural borates (11.3% of world import value in 2024, third after China and Brazil) and refined borax and boric acid from Turkey and the US for glass, ceramics, tiles and micronutrient fertilisers. Boron is not on India's 2023 critical minerals list.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/correlation/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/boron/links/index.md)