Junior phosphate rock miner Centrex Metals Ltd., Adelaide, South Australia, reported that it has signed a Research and Development contract with Microbiology Laboratories Australia Pty Ltd., St. Marys, South Australia, to develop a new microbial product prototype to further increase the value and effectiveness of its Ardmore Direct Application Phosphate Rock Product (DAPR) from its mine in Northwest Queensland. Centrex said the Proof-of-Concept phase is expected to be completed by April 2022 and the Standard Product Evaluation by September 2022.
“Organic fertilizers are an exciting and rapidly growing part of the fertilizer industry,’ said Centrex CEO Robert Mencel. “Based on good science, microbe inoculants have the potential to significantly improve the effectiveness of direct application fertilizers. As a provider of low carbon emission environmentally friendly, low cadmium phosphate rock, Centrex intends to play a significant role in Australia’s organic fertilizer industry.”
Targeted traits for microbes include the ability to improve the release of phosphorus and potential other plant nutrients from Ardmore rock phosphate, plant growth benefits, and soil health benefits.
While Centrex expects the bulk of its phosphate rock to go to the phosphate fertilizer production market and said it has made significant progress in that area, it said an initial 25,000 mt parcel of 28 percent P205 phosphate rock has been made exclusively available to farmers for use as direct application phosphate rock. It said an initial shipment of rock was transported to the Australian East Coast for use as an organic fertilizer following a successful crushing trial.
In an updated Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) released in August 2021, Centrex said ore reserves remain at 10.1 million mt at 30.2 percent P205, as was reported in its 2018 DFS. It continues to eye a 10-year mine life with annual production of 800,000 mt wet tons. It is now looking at an FOB Townsville, Australia, price rather than a CFR price, expecting that most future customers will arrange their own shipping. Updated pre-production capital costs are put at US$58.1 million, with total FOB Townsville cost at $92.15/mt.