Empire Metals Limited has announced a major milestone in process development at its Pitfield Project, with testwork delivering exceptional titanium recoveries and a high-purity final product.
Flotation trials returned 77% recoveries in the rougher stage and 90% in the cleaning stage from fine, weathered ore samples. Further processing using direct acid bake and hot-water leach achieved an impressive 98% titanium dissolution.
Overall, the testwork indicates titanium recoveries of around 67% from flotation feed to final product, with the company confident that recoveries can be improved through additional optimisation. The resulting product achieved a TiO₂ grade of 99.25%, with negligible impurities.
Empire Metals said the results highlight the amenability of Pitfield ore to standard mineral separation techniques, paving the way for a simplified development pathway.
Highlights
· Exceptional flotation performance: Recoveries of 77% (rougher stage) and 90% (cleaning stage) from fine, weathered ore samples.
· Outstanding leach results: Direct acid bake and hot-water leach achieved 98% titanium dissolution, leaving inert quartz residues.
· High recoveries: Overall titanium recovery from flotation feed to final product is circa 67% and expected to improve with further optimisation of the mineral separation stages.
· High-purity final product: TiO₂ grading 99.25% with negligible impurities, suitable for titanium sponge metal or pigment production.
· Cost and environmental advantages: Low Fe₂O₃ (~5%) reduces acid consumption, minimises waste, and supports higher recoveries over typical ilmenite feedstock processing.
· Simplified, expedited development pathway: Amenability to standard mineral separation eliminates the need for a costly bespoke demonstration plant, enabling a lower-cost continuous pilot programme using accredited commercial laboratories.
Shaun Bunn, Managing Director, said:
“These results mark a step change in Pitfield’s development. We now have clear evidence that the ore is ideally suited to conventional mineral separation and refining, producing a high-purity titanium product with strong recoveries. This sets Pitfield apart from ilmenite-based projects, which typically face lower recoveries, higher costs, and significant environmental challenges.
“Pitfield already stands out for its exceptional scale, continuity of high-grade near-surface mineralisation, and Tier 1 location with access to infrastructure. With this breakthrough in process development, we can now demonstrate a highly efficient and environmentally responsible route to producing multiple high-value titanium products.”
