Arianne in Les Affaires newspaperNothing new but at least the project is talked about in the media.
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The Saguenay phosphate in your toothpaste?
Published on 17/07/2017
One of the largest new phosphate projects in the world is about to see the day at Lac Paul, in the Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean region. A very high-quality deposit that could supply North American and European markets by the end of 2020.
Jean-Sbastien David, Chief Operating Officer of Arianne Phosphate, will share the outline of this ambitious project of more than US $ 1.2 billion at the 12th Objectif Nord conference presented by Les vnements Affaires on September 26th in Montreal .
More than 1200 jobs will be created
The economic impact will be enormous for the Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean region, predicts the geologist originally from Normandin. Ariane Phosphate is already feeling the pressure from the region to get the project going. If all goes well the construction of the site should start as early as spring 2018. And it will be companies of the region to which will be entrusted the works to maximize the economic spin-offs of the project.
The operation of the Lac Paul sector should result in the creation of more than 1,200 jobs, including 500 direct jobs. For the moment, Arianne Phosphate, which was founded in 2003, employs about fifteen people.
Three million tonnes per year
"More than three million tonnes of phosphate concentrate per year will be produced during the 26 years of operation of the Lac Paul mine," says Jean-Sbastien David enthusiastically. It states that Ariane Phosphate holds more than 250 km2 of mining claims in this sector, located 240 km north of the city of Saguenay. In other words, other deposits could extend the duration of Saguenean exploitation to 50 or even 100 years.
Most of the phosphate ore will be used for the manufacture of fertilizers. At least during the first years. At Arianne Phosphate we want to quickly benefit from the high quality of the Saguenen deposit to serve the food market. Phosphate and its derivatives are used in particular in the manufacture of sausage preservatives, cola type beverages and toothpastes.
A deposit without harmful metals
"Our phosphate concentrate, also known as apatite, has the advantage of being an igneous deposit from the earth's crust. This is not the case for nearly 90% of current world production from sedimentary deposits. Many of these deposits have accumulated harmful impurities such as uranium, chromium, mercury or cadmium, as is the case with Moroccan mines, the world's largest phosphate producer, "Mr. David said.
David explains that Morocco faces two major challenges that could benefit the exploitation of Saguenayan phosphate. One is the European community, which has tabled a bill to legislate on the amount of cadmium in fertilizers. The other is geopolitical in nature. Last spring, two ships carrying Moroccan phosphate were boarded in South Africa and Panama. Moroccan phosphate is extracted from mines in Western Sahara, an exploitation considered illegal under international law.
The company also intends to highlight the quality of its deposit with animal feed manufacturers, water treatment system manufacturers and electric car battery companies. Arianne Phosphate is also working with Quebec universities to develop a fertilizer for organic producers, "adds David.
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A Google translation of:
https://www.lesaffaires.com/blogues/evenements-les-affaires/le-phosphate-du-saguenay-dans-votre-dentifrice/596074