Arianne Phosphate, Saguenay, Quebec, a development-stage phosphate mining company advancing the Lac à Paul project in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, said on Oct. 29 it has received further results from tests designed to optimize its metallurgical process and reduce its operating costs. It said the tests show no adverse effect on the recoveries or quality of Arianne’s phosphate concentrate from using lower temperate water – 4˚C, versus the originally tested 20˚C. As a result, it said it can produce the same quality product while reducing the time and costs associated with heating.
Arianne CEO Brian Ostroff said these improvements come at a time when the company is seeing a dramatic improvement in the pricing of many agricultural commodities, including phosphates.
“Grain prices are trading at multi-year highsm helping to push fertilizer prices, with phosphate fertilizers up roughly 35 percent in the last four months,” he said. “The improving macro continues to highlight the value of our Lac à Paul project, adding to the economics of our asset and encouraging interest by potential partners, offtakers, and financiers. We continue to advance our project towards development and thus, the ability to unlock the significant economic and social benefits this project will bring.”