SAGUENAY, Québec, Oct. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arianne Phosphate (the “Company” or “Arianne”) (TSX VENTURE: DAN; OTCQB: DRRSF; FRANKFURT: JE9N), a development-stage phosphate mining company, advancing the Lac à Paul project in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, is pleased to announce that, with its partner Travertine Technologies Inc. (“Travertine”), it has successfully produced a marketable precipitated calcium carbonate (“PCC”) co-product during the production of its purified phosphoric acid (“PPA”). As previously announced, Arianne and Travertine entered into a Joint Venture (“JV”) framework (see Press Release dated June 2, 2026) for the production of purified phosphoric acid (“PPA”) by combining Arianne’s high-purity phosphate concentrate with Travertine’s proprietary process that produces PPA while recycling the sulphuric acid used in the process.
Precipitated calcium carbonate (“PCC”) is a high-purity, manufactured form of calcium carbonate valued for its brightness, consistency and fine particle size. It is used as a filler and functional additive across a broad range of everyday products, from paper, plastics, paints and sealants to construction materials such as cement, concrete and asphalt shingles. Additionally, because the PCC produced through the Arianne-Travertine process permanently stores carbon dioxide and turns a traditional phosphate waste stream into a saleable product, it would provide the JV an additional revenue stream while helping Canada’s building materials industry lower its carbon footprint. The JV-produced PCC was provided to a Canadian building materials end user and qualified by their laboratory in one of their building material formulations, confirming its suitability for the target application.
Earlier this month, Arianne announced the successful testing of its PPA by a battery CAM producer for use in LFP batteries (see Press Release dated October 8, 2026). The PPA tested was produced at pilot scale using Arianne’s high-purity phosphate concentrate and Travertine’s proprietary process. Aside from the sample sent to the CAM producer, two additional samples were provided; one to a diversified industrial chemicals producer that uses PPA for water treatment and pulp & paper applications and the other to a specialized liquid fertilizer producer. The Company is expecting these additional results in the coming weeks.
“As announced earlier this month, PPA produced through our JV has met the specification of a LFP battery CAM manufacturer, addressing a major milestone as the West looks to secure its own supply chain,” said Brian Ostroff, Head of Strategy & Business Initiatives at Arianne Phosphate. “We are highly anticipating further results from the other companies that received our material for testing in their industrial processes. This news now regarding the calcium carbonate is very exciting as it can generate additional revenue instead of a lower-end product. It positions Arianne, and our JV, to be a vital supplier to many industries and maximizes benefits to our stakeholders and shareholders.”
Conventional phosphoric acid production generates a substantial amount of phosphogypsum for every tonne of end-product produced. Due to the nature of Arianne’s high-purity phosphate concentrate, the traditional gypsum by-product is a low-end marketable material, unlike most phosphogypsum that is an ongoing legacy cost. The opportunity with the JV, is to upgrade the product into something with greater economic benefit while reducing our environmental footprint. The combination of end-products for both the phosphate industry and the building materials industry represents an unprecedented opportunity to support these key industries both domestically and internationally.
Arianne Phosphate’s Lac à Paul project is situated in Quebec, Canada and hosts the world’s largest greenfield phosphate deposit. Being igneous, the ore body is geologically rare and allows for the easy transformation into a high-quality, premium-priced PPA. As the West’s only permitted greenfield phosphate mine, Arianne can address the growing demand for this critical material and do so from a geopolitically secure jurisdiction. The Company’s JV project with Travertine also greatly reduces the requirements for sulphuric acid, reduces OpEx costs associated with PPA production and now can add further economic and environmental benefits through the sale of another co-product.
Lastly, Arianne has granted 200,000 stock options to Mr. Jeffrey Beck, CEO of Arianne Phosphate, in lieu of any salary or cash remuneration for his employment with the Company. These options entitle Mr. Beck to purchase one common share of the Company until October 22, 2036, at a price of $0.285 per share, this being the closing price of the Company’s shares on the preceding trading day of the grant. The options are subject to a vesting period and are also subject to regulatory approval.
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 (Feasibility Study released in 2013).
About Travertine:
Travertine was founded in 2022 to solve one or the most pressing problems in the mining industry: producing vital elements without creating mountains of waste. Their proprietary electrochemical technology completely converts phosphate ore concentrate into valuable products – phosphoric acid, cementitious materials, and co-produced critical elements – closing the loop between the extraction and construction industries for cleaner chemical production. Their gypsum-free, solvent-free process will become the standard for next generation, cleaner purified phosphoric acid production. To learn more, visit www.travertinetech.com.
Qualified PersonRaphael Gaudreault, eng., Qualified Person by Regulation 43-101, has approved the technical information in this release. Mr. Gaudreault is also the Company’s Chief Operating Officer.
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.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking 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”). Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, the Company’s anticipatedquality and production of the apatite concentrate at the Lac à Paul project. 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.
Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: unforeseen delays in the execution of the definitive agreements in connection with the credit facility extension or in obtaining regulatory approval; inability to complete the credit facilities extension by the Closing Date; volatile stock price; risks related to changes in commodity prices; sources and cost of power facilities; the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements; the estimation of labour and operating costs; the general global markets and economic conditions; the risk associated with exploration, development and operations of mineral deposits; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the risks associated with uninsurable risks arising during the course of exploration, development and production; risks associated with currency fluctuations; environmental risks; competition faced in securing experienced personnel; access to adequate infrastructure to support mining, processing, development and exploration activities; the risks associated with changes in the mining regulatory regime governing the Company; completion of the environmental assessment process; risks related to regulatory and permitting delays; risks related to potential conflicts of interest; the reliance on key personnel; financing, capitalization and liquidity risks including the risk that the financing necessary to fund continued exploration and development activities at Lac à Paul project may not be available on satisfactory terms, or at all; the risk of potential dilution through the issue of common shares; the risk of litigation.
Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to, the material terms of the credit facility extension having been agreed to by the parties, continued exploration activities, no material adverse change in commodity prices, exploration and development plans proceeding in accordance with plans and such plans achieving their stated expected outcomes, receipt of required regulatory approval, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
