Turkey’s Rising Value: Boron

Turkey has 73% of the world’s boron reserves with known deposits existing in Kırka, Eskişehir, in Emet, Kütahya, in Bigadiç, Balıkesir, and in Kestelek, Bursa.

The most abundant boron minerals in Turkey are tincal and colemanite. Tincal deposits are found in Kırka, Eskişehir, whereas colemanite deposits are found in Emet, Kütahya, in Bigadiç, Balıkesir, and in Kestelek, Bursa. Moreover, there are ulexite reserves in Bigadiç, Balıkesir. Ulexite is sometimes also obtained as a side product in Kestelek, Bursa.

Eti Maden fulfills the task of producing, processing and marketing boron and boron-based products in Turkey in accordance with the Law numbered 2840.

At the facilities of the four enterprises under Eti Maden, products are produced and made available to both domestic and foreign markets. These products include Borax Pentahydrate, Borax Decahydrate, Boric Acid, Etidot-67, Boron Oxide, Zinc Borate, Calcined Tincal, Anhydrous Borax, Ground Colemanite, and Ground Ulexite. The total refined boron production capacity of Eti Maden was 2.7 million tons in 2017.

The distribution of the use of boron in Turkey is as follows: 36% glass, 31% ceramics, 9% cleaning/detergents, 7% agriculture, 4% adhesives, 14% other. Eti Maden meets the entire national demand for boron. Helping the Turkish economy acquire a prestigious position in the world, Eti Maden ranked 15th on the list of the Top 1,000 Exporters of Turkey in 2016 and ranked 14th among the 90 firms which export to the highest number of countries.