US Borax

Birmingham DJ, Key AIM Preliminary Survey, US Borax Plant, Boron California (Feb 20,1963). Occup Health Research Training Facility, Div of Occup Health, Public Health Service, US Department of Health, Education Welfare, Cincinnati, OH, 1963... 

Anhydrous horax is made from its hydrated forms by calcination and fusion. In the United States, it is produced by US Borax and Kerr-McGee Corporations. The starting material is horax decahydrate. The amorphos form is obtained by rapid cooling of molten borax. The molten material on long standing produces the crystaUine form. 

Firebrake Inorganic flame retardants US Borax Chem. Corp.. Los Angeles. CA. U.S.A. 

Representatives of various industries [17] have examined some smoke depressants and flame retardant resins introduced by various US Companies in relation to US legislation. These include smoke suppressed polyvinylchloride (PVC) (BE Goodrich) and polyurethane (PU) foams (Mobay Chemical), and smoke suppressant additives from Climax Molybdenum, and Sherwin-Williams (molybdenum compounds), Solem Industries, and Alcoa Chemicals (aluminium trihydrates, for polypropylene (PP) and PVC), Dover Chemical Corp., (aromatic bromine compound for PP), and US Borax (zinc borate). 

Borates represent a novel opportunity for synergism with both brominated and non-halogenated flame retardant products. Although known for many years, their time has now, perhaps, arrived as antimony trioxide has come under a cloud. For instance, to capitalise on this opportunity Albemarle, the leading BFR company, is collaborating with US Borax to develop new borate-related technologies. 

Boron compounds us Borax Inc. Etibank Anzon NACC Joseph Storey William Blythe Rio Tinto Borax Europe Ltd Buddenheim Iberica... 

Borax Einope and US Borax sell hydrated zinc borate flame retardants under the Firebrake name. Firebrake ZB is an example it has the formula 2ZnO.3B2O3.5H2O and the average particle size is seven microns. Firebrake 500 withstands high temperatures because it consists of anhydrous zinc borate, with no water to lose. It can be used in polyetherketones, polysulfones, fluoropolymers, polyesters and polyamides. It has a very beneficial effect on the heat release rate, suppresses smoke and afterglow, as well as promoting char. It is recommended for aircraft applications. 

Borates Molybdenum compounds Zinc Borate, Barium Metaborates, Ammonium Fluoroborate, Boric Acid Flexible PVC, polyolefins, unsaturated polyesters, thermoplastic polyesters, epoxies, nylons, urethanes, and phenolics Used in comhination with other retardants for flexible PVC and reinforced polyesters. Behave as synergists with halogen containing compounds CSA Chemical Harwich Chemical Corp. US Borax Chemical Corp. Climax Performance Materials CSA Chemical Sherwin WUhams Chemicals... 

Gerstley Borate. A sodium-calcium borate produced at the Gerstley Mine, Death Valley, California. (US Borax and Chemical Corp., Los Angeles). 

KK Shen, DJ Ferm. Plastics Compounding, September/ October 1985, November/December 1988, US Borax Research Corp., 1995 Fire Retardant Chemical Ass. Fall Conference. 

Rio Tinto Borax at Boron, California, is perhaps the single largest producer of borate chemicals in the world with a capacity of over 1.6 billion pounds per year. This company was formed from a merger of Luzenac (French) with Dampier (Australian) and US Borax (USA). Other borate-producing companies are American Borate (in Nevada) and Searles Valley Mineral (California). 

Despite encapsulation by PVC, compounds such as the above should contain a biocide if used as plastic lumber outdoors. Those reported effective include thiazo-lyl benzimidazole (Irgaguard F3000 Ciba), dichlorooctylisothiazolone (Vinyzene SB27 (Rohm Haas) and Micro-Chek 11 (Ferro), and zinc borate (Borogard ZB US Borax). Wood fiber composites are discussed in greater detail in Chapter 17. 

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