Tailings from the Ardmore phosphate mine have been turned into commercial products in early success for a partnership between miner Centrex and the Cleveland Bay Chemical Company.

Centrex said a flow sheet utilising sulphuric acid, milk of lime and water had successfully produced a significant quantity of Dicalcium Phosphate (DCP) – used in animal feed and fertiliser – as well as by-products such as gypsum, calcium fluoride and other salts.

These commercial products were produced using the company’s tailings product, Amplify, it said.

Centrex subsidiary Agriflex entered into a memorandum of understanding with Cleveland Bay Chemical Company in November to explore value added processing opportunities for the Company’s concentrate and tailings rock phosphate products.

Related: Full steam ahead for Ardmore expansion project

The companies consider the findings to date promising and warranting further investigation.

“We are pleased to report on our ongoing collaboration with Cleveland and the technical successes achieved under the MOU so far,” Centrex managing director and chief executive officer Robert Mencel said.

“The exploration of additional markets, such as DCP, reflects the company’s commitment to maximising the total sales value from its high-grade, low-impurity Ardmore deposit.

“Furthermore, the potential to monetise Ardmore’s tailings is particularly attractive, as it could provide an additional revenue stream alongside our existing concentrate sales.”

Centrex is continuing to advance its Ardmore Stage 1.5 expansion project at the phosphate mine, near Dajarra in North-West Queensland.

You may also like: