Rio Tinto (LN:RIO), one of a handful of major borate producers, is responsible for much of the growing fame around borate and lithium as a potential product suite, having discovered a new mineral, jaderite, which hosts both borate and lithium together within its massive Jadar deposit in Serbia.

While it is unclear how Rio will proceed – it would be reluctant to venture into lithium production, though equally loath to part with a world...