The Kırka mine is a large
boron
Boron is a chemical element; it has symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the boron group it has three ...
ore
mine located at
Eskişehir Province
Eskişehir Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in northwestern Turkey. Its area is 13,960 km2, and its population is 906,617 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are B ...
in western
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. Kırka represents one of the largest
boron
Boron is a chemical element; it has symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the boron group it has three ...
reserves in
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
having an estimated reserve of 750.6 million tonnes of ore grading 28%
boron
Boron is a chemical element; it has symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the boron group it has three ...
.
This is mainly in the form of
tincal, although other borate minerals are present in smaller amounts. The Kırka deposit is the single largest tincal deposit in the world,
accounting for 18% of the world's total reserves.
It produces 2.5
megatonne
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the shor ...
s of ore per year and its reserves expected to last for another 300 years at current rates.
The Kırka mine is managed by the state-controlled company
Eti Maden
Eti Maden is a Turkish state-owned mining and chemicals company focusing on boron products. It holds a government monopoly on the mining of borate minerals in Turkey, which possesses 72% of the world's known deposits. In 2012, it held a 47% share ...
.
It was established in 1970.
An on-site refinery was added in 1984, producing about 840,000 tonnes of
borax pentahydrate annually, mostly for use in cleaning products.
The mining and refining facilities at Kırka employ a total of over 2,000 people.
References
Boron mines in Turkey
Eskişehir Province
Seyitgazi District
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