Visual Capitalist has put together another great infographic – this time one that shows that Boron is far more ubiquitous than one would think. 

You may have come across them in your laundry room or your kids’ slime-making experiments in the form of Borax, but may not have heard much about them otherwise. However, with the revolution in materials science, Borates are quickly becoming a key component in many cutting-edge applications. Courtesy of Visual Capitalist, we can now count the ways. The infographic alone lists 13 different properties of Boron that make it one of the most versatile materials you’d never heard about, and scientists are discovering new uses at a rapid pace.  

Recent research breakthroughs, some of which we recently discussed, may be unlikely to affect our domestic supply scenario, as thankfully, the U.S. is a net exporter of Borates with a strong production base. However, as we previously argued, mining exports make considerable positive contributions to our trade balance. As such, our policy makers and stakeholders should work to foster a policy framework that supports the development of our domestic mineral resources – “not just for those where our demand exceeds supply, but for those like Boron, where U.S. production supplies the world.”

Take a look at the full infographic here.