Boric acid is a weak acid of boron and is a white water-soluble powder with many applications, including antiseptic, cleaner, fertilizer, lubricant, fire retardant, and additive in protective coatings, glass, metals, and ceramics.
Antiseptic/Detergent: Boric acid is used as a disinfectant and bleaching agent in soaps and detergents with the advantages of reducing washing time and temperature. Dilute solutions of boric acid are used for medical applications as antiseptics. Boric acid is used as an anti-corrosive and anti-bacterial agent in metal coating processes in industry.
Agriculture: Boron is a nutrient needed by plants for flowering, pollen production and seed development. Boric acid can be used alone or combined with standard fertilizers in soils with low boron content. It can also be used to preserve grains, such as wheat and rice.
Fire Retardant: Boric acid is used to produce borate-based fire retardants that can reduce the kindling rate of burning materials. Borate-based fire retardants are important for imparting fire resistance to resin-based wooden composite panels, marine and aviation coatings.
Wood protection: Boric acid can be applied as a solution or gel on wooden surfaces and protects wood from rotting and prevents the growth of moss and fungi.
Lubrication: Colloidal suspensions of boric acid in oils are effective lubricants for metal and ceramic surfaces since they significantly reduce the coefficient of friction.
Glass: Boric acid is used in the production of glass and glass fiber. It increases the resistance of glass to heat, chemicals, and mechanical impact. It improves the properties of glass fibers by increasing fiberizing, reducing crystallization, and enhancing physical properties and moisture resistance.
Metallurgy: Boric acid reduces energy consumption in metallurgy by improving the fusing temperature, increases the durability of steel and has a plasticizing effect when used as a slag-former.
