| Company | First Phosphate Corp. |
| Date | 2024 |
| Region | Quebec, Canada |
| Commodities | Apatite, Magnetite, Ilmenite |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Throughput | 12,000 tpd (nominal) |
| Status | Development |
Executive Summary
This Pre-Feasibility Study (PEA) outlines the conceptual recovery methods for the Bégin-Lamarche Phosphate Property. The process flowsheet is designed to produce high-grade apatite concentrate suitable for purified phosphoric acid and magnetite concentrate. The nominal processing capacity is 12,000 tpd, ramping up to 20,800 tpd by the end of mine life. The ore is processed via open pit mining, followed by crushing, grinding, magnetic separation, and flotation.
The principal processing stages include gyratory crushing of ROM material, SAG-ball mill grinding, and low-intensity magnetic separation to isolate magnetite. Apatite recovery utilizes multi-stage flotation with reagent conditioning, regrinding, and pressure filtration. Tailings management is planned for dry stacking. Ilmenite recovery is not currently included in the flowsheet but may be pursued using high-intensity magnetic separation in the future.
Validation of the flowsheet requires additional bench-scale and pilot-scale testing. The apatite concentrate is targeted for EV battery manufacture and high-value phosphorous products. Conversion of the apatite to phosphorous compounds will occur off-site, potentially at a Saguenay location. The process plant design allows for a 30% capacity increase after year 4 to accommodate production ramp-up.
Website: https://firstphosphate.com/projects/begin-lamarche/
Report Date: 2024
Region: Quebec, Canada
Project Status: Development
Commodity: Apatite, Magnetite, Ilmenite
Throughput: 12,000 tpd (nominal)
Mine Life:
Mine Type: Open Pit
Ore type: Phosphate, Iron, Titanium
