Abstract

This comprehensive reference is the first to cover industrially important borates, from deposits, through chemistry, mining, processing, and applications. The reference work begins with a listing of the 238 currently known borate minerals, their formulas, and properties. It features modern theories on the origin of borate deposits, their molecular structure and detailed descriptions of the world's borate deposits. Garrett describes the fascinating history of the discovery and development of borate deposits with anecdotes of how resourceful operators overcame obstacles in obtaining their minerals. Chapters on mining technology and processing detail the mineral's development from the earliest recorded times up to the sophisticated operations of the present day. The book also contains a comprehensive literature on boron isotope chemistry, their diverse applications, and productions and resource statistics for the world's largest industrial producers.

• Functions as a complete reference for geologists, engineers, and consumers of borate products
• Includes crystallographic descriptions, solution chemistry, isotopic distributions, and other properties of 170 borate minerals
• Provides detailed descriptions of mining and processing methods and economic uses
• Includes statistical data on borate production, consumption, prices, and ore reserves for every country of the world
• Provides an extensive bibliography
• Author is an authority on industrial minerals through many years of consulting and process development work

"The book contains a wealth of information on worldwide borate deposits and their site geology that most earth scientists, or anyone interested in borates, would find useful. . . Overall, this book would appeal to geologists, historians, and those who have an interest in the what, where, when, and how borate production and development was achieved in the western United States." --CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY, July/August 2000

"The element boron and its principal minerals have attracted the attention of many scholars and researchers for several centuries within and outside the field of Geology. The book Borates: Handbook of Deposits, Processing, Properties, and Use provides the most comprehensive observation with new angles and perspectives on the topic....Overall this book gives us an opportunity to break out of our narrow subfields and to examine in a broader angle a complex subject like boron and its compounds. It is rare to see a piece of work that integrates subjects like history-geochemistry-crystal chemistry-isotope geochemistry-geology-mining industry and others so nicely together." --Avner Vengosh, HYDROLOGICAL SERVICE, Israel

"Although much technical information is presented, many sections of the book are written for the lay person. Overall, this book would appeal to geologists, historians, and those who have an interest in the what, where, when, and how borate production and development was achieved in the western United States." --CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY, July/August 2000