– Demonstrates Enhanced Economics and Quality for the Lac à Paul Project –
SAGUENAY, QUEBEC – (May 22, 2014) – Arianne Phosphate (the “Company” or “Arianne”) (TSX VENTURE: DAN) (FRANKFURT: JE9N) (OTCBB: DRRSF), a development-stage phosphate company advancing the Lac à Paul Project in Quebec, is pleased to announce that preliminary results from its process optimization tests have yielded savings in the production costs of its phosphate concentrate. In its press release of February 12th, 2014, Arianne announced that it had engaged COREM in Quebec to proceed with an additional testing program for the phosphate ore from the Lac à Paul zone. These tests were designed to optimize the process flow sheet for the deposit’s different lithologies, optimize reagent use and consumption and, improve the concentrate quality all with the goal of decreasing production costs.
According to Arianne’s Chief Metallurgist Ghislain Goyette, “All the objectives of this new work were achieved or surpassed and the campaign has had a very successful outcome. Based on the finalized flow sheet, all lithologies from Paul can be readily beneficiated and can be produced with a lower MgO content and a higher percentage of P2O5 as compared to the concentrate considered for Arianne’s October 2013 FS. Of added benefit, the test work allows the complete elimination of two reagents: starch and sulfuric acid, thereby significantly decreasing production costs and the environmental impact of the process.”
In Arianne’s October 2013 Feasibility Study, these two reagents represented costs of $3.91 US per tonne of concentrate representing $10,862,000 per year over the 26 year project life or roughly $280 Million.
Brian Kenny, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, said, “These results confirm the robustness of our optimized process design and an improvement to the already very high quality of the finished concentrate product. The elimination of reagents used in previous tests will now have a significant effect on our economics, enabling us to improve our operating costs and reduce the project’s environmental impact. It’s a win-win; a better product at a lower cost with less environmental impact. This news coupled with our increasing resource, as announced last week, makes this project even bigger and better than where it stood last October after the release of our very positive BFS.”
The tests, conducted on a bulk sample of 120 tonnes of ore, produced very strong results on the various lithologies of the deposit, on both laboratory and pilot plant scales. The optimized process flow sheet readily produces a high quality concentrate, containing very low contaminants, with all testing campaigns to date producing P2O5 recoveries in the 87 – 90% range. The P2O5 grade is also higher than in previous tests, some tests achieved a P2O5 concentration of up to 40% as compared to 38.6% in the 2013 test campaign which formed the basis for Arianne’s Lac à Paul project FS in October 2013.
Testing will continue until the end of May, when a five-day continuous pilot-scale test will be conducted on a representative sample of all deposit lithologies.
Mr. Ghislain Goyette, P.Eng., Arianne’s Chief Metallurgist Qualified Person as per NI 43-101, has approved this press release.
About Arianne Phosphate
Arianne Phosphate (“Arianne Phosphate Inc.”) (www.arianne-inc.com) is developing the Lac à Paul phosphate deposits located approximately 200 km north of the Saguenay/Lac St. Jean area of Quebec, Canada. These deposits will produce a high quality igneous apatite concentrate grading 39% P2O5 with little or no contaminants. The Company has 87.1 million shares outstanding.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contact Information:
Source: Brian Kenny, CEO Tel: 514-699-7436 brian.kenny@arianne-inc.com
Info: Derek Lindsay, CFO Tel: 514-594-2372 derek@arianne-inc.com
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Resource Investing News: http://resourceinvestingnews.com/?s=Arianne
Forward Looking Statements and Information
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” and “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities regulations in Canada and the United States (collectively, “forward-looking information”). The forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to estimated mineral resources, anticipated effect of the completed drill results on the Project, and timing and expectations of future work programs. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes”, or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might”, or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
