International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.33, No.23, 7103-7109, 2008
Production of anhydrous borax from borax pentahydrate
Anhydrous borax is an important compound because it can be used to produce sodium borohydride which is one of the best chemicals that carry hydrogen and releases hydrogen upon hydrolysis. In this study, a prototype furnace for the production of anhydrous borax is designed and manufactured at Eti Mine Works Kirka Borax Managing Administration located at Kirka County of Eskisehir Province in Turkey. in addition, a product processing unit based on the method of powder atomization is designed and manufactured. After manufacturing works, a set of experiments is performed and anhydrous borax is produced. As a result, anhydrous borax (Na(2)B(4)O(7)) is obtained including the following constituents as mass percentages; 68.24% B(2)O(3) and 30.38% Na(2)O. The difficulties in the post-processing stage are overcome by the use of powder atomization unit and in the mean time, continuity in production is also established. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.