Assessment of the possibility of obtaining selected critical elements (boron, magnesium, strontium) in Poland

A b s t r a c t.In recent years, the authorities within the European Union have shown an increased interest in assessing the continent's potential to source several critical elements essential to the economy from its own mineral and anthropogenic deposits.There are 34 of these critical elements, and the potential of Poland to source three of them, boron (B), magnesium (Mg) and strontium (Sr), is presented in the paper.The review of registered and potential occurrences of these three elements in Poland included both active and inactive deposits, prospective areas with reserves of raw materials, underground waters (natural, mining, from deep wells, geothermal and from hydrocarbon accumulations), as well as anthropogenic dumps and waste ponds.Preliminary calculations of the reserves of these elements have shown that in Poland the reserves of magnesium are the largest (>19 million tonnes), especially in potash salts (~19 million tonnes).Less magnesium is concentrated in magnesite deposits (255 thousand tonnes) and in underground waters (>44 thousand tonnes).Strontium -~256.8thousand tonnes -could be obtained from old dumps and waste ponds, residues accumulated after sulphur exploitation and abandoned sulphur open pits.Underground waters provide only >1.5 thousand tonnes of strontium.The possible sources of boron are local underground waters with a predicted boron production of >270 tonnes per year.