First Phosphate Corp. (CSE:PHOS) told investors it can proceed towards a beneficiation pilot plant ahead of schedule after obtaining positive metallurgical testwork results on mineralization sourced from its Lac à l'Orignal Property in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region in Quebec, Canada.
The company said results from the batch and locked cycle tests were used to prepare an overall mass balance for the proposed flowsheet. The overall mass balance showed that the flowsheet could recover 91.4% of the apatite to a concentrate containing 40.2% P2O5 (phosphorus pentoxide).
Preliminary upgrading testwork on the ilmenite and magnetite streams achieved an ilmenite concentrate grading 39.3% TiO2 (titanium dioxide) and a magnetite concentrate grading 69% iron (99.2% Fe2O3). Further testwork is recommended to optimize the ilmenite circuit, the company added.
READ: First Phosphate gets illuminating research report Lac à l'Orignal phosphate deposit from Queen's University Pufahl Research Group
"We are pleased with the results of our high purity apatite recovery which has the potential to allow us to create a large amount of purified phosphoric acid for the production of LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries," First Phosphate president Peter Kent said in a statement. "Our secondary recovery of ilmenite is equally important in that its upgrading may allow us to create the iron sulphate required as another important ingredient in the production of LFP batteries. The magnetite remains a potential tertiary recovery of value. We are now able to proceed towards a beneficiation pilot plant ahead of schedule.”
The company said the metallurgical testwork program was undertaken on a composite of 75 fluoroapatite half-drill cores from the Lac à l'Orignal deposit with the objective of recovering and upgrading the apatite (removing silicates, ilmenite, magnetite, etc) to produce high-grade concentrate feed for phosphoric acid production to be used in the production of LFP cathode active material. The composite sample had a head grade of 5.55% P2O5.
It noted that the testwork was completed by independent Quebec City laboratory SGS Canada Inc and is dated March 13, 2023.
The full report is available here.
First Phosphate is a mineral development company fully dedicated to extracting and purifying phosphate for the production of cathode active material for the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery industry.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com