Empire Metals has developed a high-purity titanium dioxide (TiO2) product with 99.25% purity at its Pitfield project in Western Australia. The product is ideal for titanium sponge or pigment-grade applications. Supported by strategic infrastructure and promising exploration results, the company aims to commercialise Pitfield’s significant titanium resource.
Empire Metals has achieved a significant milestone in its titanium exploration efforts, announcing the successful development of a high-purity titanium dioxide (TiO2) product with an assay grade of 99.25%. This high-grade material, derived using conventional processing techniques, is ideally suited for applications such as the production of titanium sponge metal and high-quality TiO2 pigments.
The product was developed from material sourced at the company’s flagship Pitfield project in Western Australia. Importantly, the TiO2 product demonstrates extremely low impurity levels, making it a compelling feedstock for high-value industrial uses. According to Empire Metals, the Pitfield site is characterised by a pronounced gravity and magnetic anomaly, as well as consistent grades within in-situ mineralised beds—features that enhance the site’s economic appeal.
Strategically located, the Pitfield project benefits from proximity to essential infrastructure, including port facilities, power and gas pipelines, and is near a proposed green hydrogen energy hub. These logistical advantages position the project for streamlined development and eventual commercialisation.
Empire Metals has already delivered bulk samples from the weathered surface layer at Pitfield to a metallurgical laboratory. These are being used to produce multiple final product samples for marketing and further evaluation by potential buyers. The company has also declared an exploration target at Pitfield, estimating a substantial deposit rich in titanium dioxide mineralisation, underlining the project’s vast scale and potential.
Empire Metals Managing Director Shaun Bunn praised the progress made, stating: “We have achieved an extraordinary outcome from our recent test work. The production of a high-grade, high-purity TiO2 product demonstrates the strength of our processing strategy and the inherent quality of the Pitfield mineralisation. This product is suitable for titanium sponge metal or top-tier pigment applications.”
He added that the technical team’s rapid development of the product was noteworthy and a testament to the efficiency of the process. With 70 tonnes of bulk samples collected earlier this year, the company plans to ramp up its metallurgical testing, expand sample production, and engage with potential downstream customers.
Empire Metals’ broader objective is to create a high-value titanium product from the Pitfield project, maximising the site's potential. In addition to Pitfield, the company holds other exploration assets in Australia and is also involved in precious metals projects in Austria.
Empire Metals, listed on both the AIM (LON: EEE) and OTCQB (OTCQB: EPMLF) markets, is a resource exploration and development company primarily focused on advancing the Pitfield project—an emerging, large-scale titanium discovery in Western Australia.
The Pitfield project hosts a significant high-grade titanium deposit, with airborne geophysical surveys revealing a vast gravity and magnetic anomaly spanning approximately 40km in length, 8km in width, and extending to a depth of 5km. Drilling results have demonstrated strong grade consistency and mineral continuity within the in-situ beds. These results confirm that the higher-grade titanium dioxide (TiO2) values are concentrated within the sandstone layers, which are part of an interbedded sequence that also includes siltstones and conglomerates.
