Turkiye’s first boron carbide plant will be opened on Sunday, March 19, in Bandirma, Balikesir, with the participation of President Erdogan.
According to the statement made by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, in Turkiye, which has 73% of the world’s boron reserves, Eti Maden broke a record with a sales revenue of $1 billion 321 million last year.
Turkiye’s first boron carbide facility, which will be one of Turkiye’s first and strategic facilities and will strengthen the defense industry, will be opened in Bandirma, Balikesir, on Sunday, March 19, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
1000 tons of boron carbide will be produced annually at the facility, where 279 people will be employed when it operates at full capacity. Boron carbide, which is the third hardest material after diamond and cubic boron, is used in many fields, especially in the defense industry.
On the other hand, work continues on the establishment of a new boron carbide plant with an annual capacity of 5 thousand tons in Emet, Kutahya.
The added value in boron ore will increase
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Fatih Donmez, whose views were given in the statement, stated that Turkiye has started to reap the fruits of the steps taken on the broadside in recent years, “We convert boron ore into boric acid and its wastes into lithium. Apart from this, we are increasing the usage areas. As a matter of fact, these steps we take bring us records. We broke a record in boron exports two years in a row. New facilities and increased value-added product portfolio were required to set new records. With this facility, we will do that as well.”
Pointing out that the value of the ore will increase further with the processing of boron, Donmez said, “The added value in boron ore has increased 7 times in refined products such as boric acid, 300 times in products such as boron carbide, 2,000 times in the armor industry where boron carbide is used, and even 35 thousand times in the rocket nozzle construction industry.”
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz