Industrial ventilation research in Argentina.

The INBEMI (Instituto de Beneficio de Minerales) is a Research Institute of the National University of Salta, working on the areas of mineral processing and extractive metallurgy. At present, the INBEMI is mainly working in the field of boron industry using borates as raw material. The main borate deposits in Argentina are in the northwestern provinces, near the borders with Chile and Bolivia. Among the research studies an important place is given to the industrial ventilation, including the control of the air quality that is discharged to the external atmosphere. This is particulary important for the boron industry, because several boric acid production plants are located in the Lerma Valley (where the Salta city is situated). This region is densely inhabited and an important agricultural area. Then, there is a risk of pollution with the borate and boric acid dust, containing boron oxide, arsenic (from the ore impurities) and other contaminants. The research studies on industrial ventilation that we have done, and those we are earring out in the Institute can be divided into two groups: Basic Research and Applied Research.