For years the Niobec niobium mine in Saint-Honoré, Quebec – the only underground niobium mine and one of three major niobium producers in the world – experienced seasonal variations in its flotation circuits that resulted in an overall drop in niobium recovery during the winter months as well as a dramatic increase in reagent consumption. “We just lived with it without thinking much about why it was happening,” said Jean-Sébastien Marois, Niobec’s chief metallurgist. “Then in the winter of 2014, the seasonal variation increased significantly. It became very clear we had to do something about it.”