**Summary**
Empire Metals Limited has announced a significant breakthrough in process development for its Pitfield Titanium Project in Western Australia. The company has achieved exceptional titanium recoveries and produced a high-purity titanium dioxide (TiOâ‚‚) product from the weathered ore at Pitfield. Key highlights include
1. **Exceptional Flotation Performance** Recoveries of 77% in the rougher stage and 90% in the cleaning stage from fine, weathered ore samples.
2. **Outstanding Leach Results** Direct acid bake and hot-water leach achieved 98% titanium dissolution, leaving inert quartz residues.
3. **High Recoveries** Overall titanium recovery from flotation feed to final product is approximately 67%, with potential for improvement.
4. **High-Purity Final Product** TiOâ‚‚ grading 99.25% with negligible impurities, suitable for titanium sponge metal or pigment production.
5. **Cost and Environmental Advantages** Low Fe₂O₃ content reduces acid consumption, minimizes waste, and supports higher recoveries compared to typical ilmenite feedstock processing.
6. **Simplified Development Pathway** The ore’s amenability to conventional mineral separation eliminates the need for a costly bespoke demonstration plant, enabling a lower-cost continuous pilot program.
The company’s Managing Director, Shaun Bunn, emphasized that these results position Pitfield as a highly efficient and environmentally responsible titanium producer, with advantages over traditional ilmenite-based projects. Empire Metals has committed substantial resources to metallurgical <mark style="background-color:yellow">test</mark>work, including full-time process engineers, titanium experts, and collaboration with specialists from Strategic Metallurgy, Federal Government agencies, and local engineering consultants.
The Pitfield Project, located in Western Australia’s Mid-West region, benefits from Tier 1 mining jurisdiction status, existing infrastructure, and proximity to ports, power, and natural gas pipelines. Empire Metals aims to complete bench and large-scale batch metallurgical testwork by Q1 2026, followed by continuous piloting to develop a commercial process flowsheet and supply bulk product samples to prospective end users.
This breakthrough underscores Pitfield’s potential as a globally significant titanium project, with its unique ore characteristics offering a more efficient, lower-cost, and environmentally friendly processing route compared to traditional ilmenite-based methods.