Shares in Empire Metals Ltd (AIM: EEE, OTCQB: EPMLF) jumped 20% after the company announced it had successfully produced a high-purity titanium dioxide (TiO₂) product with an assay grade of 99.25%.
The result stems from ongoing test work at its Pitfield project in Western Australia, utilising conventional beneficiation, leaching, and refining methods. The final product showed either undetectable or extremely low levels of impurities.
Highlights
· A very high-purity TiO2 product, assaying at 99.25% TiO2 has been achieved through conventional beneficiation, leaching and refining processes.
· The TiO2 product contains non-detectable, or extremely low levels of deleterious impurities and is expected to be suitable for high-quality titanium sponge metal or high-grade titanium dioxide pigment production.
· Bulk samples collected from the weathered cap (announced 17 February 2025) have been delivered to the metallurgical laboratory and these will be utilised to produce multiple, finished product samples for marketing purposes.
Shaun Bunn, Managing Director, said: “We have achieved an extraordinary outcome from our most recent product development testwork, which has delivered an exceptional high-grade, high-purity TiO2 product that should be ideal for either titanium sponge metal or high-quality TiO2 pigment production.
“It is remarkable that our technical team has so rapidly produced a high-purity TiO₂ product. We believe this not only highlights the effectiveness of our processing approach but also underscores the potential value of our product. Metallurgical testing and process optimisation continues, and with the availability of the 70 tonnes of bulk sample collected in February we will now be able to significantly scale up the testwork and produce a variety of final product samples to share with prospective downstream end-users.”
Empire is now preparing to scale up its testing using a 70-tonne bulk sample collected earlier this year. The company aims to generate a range of product samples for evaluation by prospective end-users, as part of its broader strategy to unlock commercial pathways for the project.
