Australian-based American Pacific Borates Ltd., Perth, said on Feb. 4 that plans to produce boric acid at its Fort Cady Borate Mine near Newberry Springs, Calif., remain on track to occur in third-quarter 2021, with the production of sulfate of potash (SOP) to follow shortly thereafter. SOP would be produced as a byproduct of boric acid mining.
ABR said in April 2020 a starter project for production, would target 40,000 mt/y of SOP and 9,000 mt/y of boric acid (GM April 17, 2020; Aug. 21, 2020). Full production under its most recent Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) would reach 362,000 mt/y of SOP and 408,000 mt/y of boric acid.
While SOP is a popular product in California, borates appear to be as much, if not more, of an impetus for ABR’s quick move on the Fort Cady project. ABR CEO Anthony Hall told the Australian Financial Review that borates are currently in short supply and great demand. “Borates are the WD40 of the mineral world,” he said in an interview. “We consider borates to be an enabler of megatrends. You can’t build a permanent magnet without boron. It’s used in airbags, windscreens, ceramic brakes, wind turbines, solar modules and nuclear power plants.”