Boric Acid: Safety and Uses in Various Industries

The use of any acid requires safety standards, and boric acid is no exception. With its myriad uses across industries, it is imperative to handle boric acid safely for the sake of your employees and that of your customers. Bell Chem, your industrial chemical supplier, wants to help you better understand the safety and uses of boric acid across industries.

Boric acid safety controls

Boric acid is often used as a pesticide. While it is incredibly toxic to pests, it is much safer for humans than other pesticides. However, it is still critical to handle boric acid according to its Safety Data Sheet. Add only the amount of boric acid recommended; more is not better. When working with boric acid, wear a dust mask or respirator as well as eye protection. Keep boric acid away from open wounds. After working with boric acid, wash exposed areas of your body thoroughly.

Boric acid in farming

Pesticides use boric acid because of its ability to shatter insects’ exoskeletons as it disrupts the insects’ nervous systems. When using boric acid as a pesticide in crops, it also acts as an amendment for crops low on boron.

Modification of cotton layers

Cotton modification relies on a layer-by-layer process with sodium lignin sulphonate, chitosan, and boric acid. When these 3 additives are present, their ionic differences create cotton fabrics offering UV protection, no-iron properties, and antibacterial fabrics.

Automotive battery additive

Vehicles running on gas rely on lead-acid batteries to perform many functions. These batteries are inexpensive and perform quite well. Adding boric acid improves their performance by eliminating much of the battery’s overcharging tendencies. This extends the cycling life of the battery, giving a great battery with a longer lifespan.

Medical applications

While end users are warned not to expose open wounds to boric acid, the medical field has found boric acid a very good alternative in chronic wound treatment for patients who are unable to find relief through traditional treatment. Topical application of boric acid increased fibroblast production and collagen synthesis as it stimulated the development of new blood vessels. As a 3% topical solution, boric acid greatly reduced Pseudomonas aeruginosa in wounds, especially when other antiseptics were unsuccessful. Because it works as an antiseptic, boric acid is also used as an ingredient in ophthalmic and dermal applications.

Bell Chem is an industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including boric acid. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.

Monique Day 8/16/21 Monique Day 8/16/21

Boric Acid in Manufacturing

Boric acid (hydrogen borate, boracic acid, orthoboric acid, acidum boricum, BH3O3, H3BO3, or B(OH)3 are its other identifiers) is a weak acid that may be found as a colorless crystal or a white powder. Industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem ensures boric acid is part of its inventory because of its wide-ranging uses. Read below for a few uses of this important chemical.

Glass Manufacturing

The glass industry relies heavily on boric acid to create several varieties of glass. First developed in the latter portion of the 19th century, borates gained notoriety in its positive impact on glass, which escalated in 1915 with the production of Pyrex, a borosilicate glass product. In the late 20th century the normally clear boric acid glass was infused with color.

When added to a silica base, boric acid creates a much stronger product that withstands the stresses of thermal expansion, lowers the melting temperature and viscosity of glass, and inhibits devitrification (crystallization) of glass. It also creates more transparent and brighter glass, resists moisture more readily, and acts as a remarkable flux in the glassmaking process.

Boric acid is used for specialty glass (optical, laboratory, and technical glass) and borosilicate tubes; display glass, textile and insulation fiberglass, lightbulbs, LCD television screens and microfiber glass. Borosilicate glass has even traveled in space as insulation tiles on the space shuttles!

Healthcare Products

Boric acid is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial chemical commonly used for minor skin abrasions or burns. It also is used to curb acne breakouts, conjunctivitis, yeast infections, and athlete’s foot. Many eye care products, such as eye drops and saline solution, contain boric acid.

Textiles

Boric acid as a flux (soldering compound) prevents oxygenation when used in metallurgy. This unwanted oxygenation, known as fire scale, is repelled with a coating of 60% boric acid and 40% denatured alcohol. When combined with water, boric acid acts as a flow flux.

In the tanning industry, the four steps in converting hides to leather are liming and hair removal, deliming, pickling, and tanning. The second step, deliming, utilizes boric acid and buffering salts to remove the lime traces from the initial step and lower the pH for the succeeding steps.