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Empire Metals Ltd on Tuesday reported progress at its Pitfield titanium project in Western Australia, with management ‘encouraged’ by the pace of advancements. The London-based mining firm with exploration assets in Australia and Austria noted flotation work has confirmed selective recovery of titanium minerals into froth flotation concentrate, ‘with the rejection of high levels of unwanted gangue minerals’. The company added that whole-ore flotation has improved overall concentrate grades and recoveries while simplifying the mineral separation flowsheet. Empire Metals also reported positive results from atmospheric sulphuric acid leaching of flotation concentrates. The company said this needs much simpler equipment and lower temperatures than acid bake-water leach process tested to date. Looking ahead to the first quarter, Empire Metals said metallurgical test programmes on the in-situ weathered ores are being completed quickly. It expects the mineral separation process flowsheet to reach a stage to permit the commencement of additional large-scale metallurgical batch tests, by early next month. Empire Metal said these tests will generate ‘the mineral concentrates required for optimising the hydrometallurgical performance and also to produce additional high-grade titanium products required for characterisation-supporting marketing efforts.’ The company also sees the majority of alternative flowsheet configurations undergoing testing during the quarter. ‘Engineering data sighter tests and desktop studies will also be completed to allow project scoping and engineering design criteria. Completing sighter tests for bulk materials handling, waste stream geochemistry, tailings dewatering and water recycling will help inform the engineering studies and define what further test work would be required to build confidence in project development decisions,’ the company said. Shares in the company were down 5.4% to 40.00 pence on Tuesday afternoon in London. ‘The ongoing achievements of our metallurgical and environmental teams continue to impress. We are greatly encouraged by the pace and quality of work being delivered, advancing multiple workstreams in parallel, and accelerating the Project’s development pathway,’ said Managing Director Shaun Bunn. ‘Metallurgical programmes are progressing rapidly toward a defined process flowsheet, with flotation performance and atmospheric low temperature leaching options having the potential to materially enhance project economics. In parallel, engineering, mining and marketing studies are now underway to support completion of a Scoping Study later this year. Collectively, these milestones strengthen Pitfield’s position as a globally significant titanium development project with multiple downstream product pathways, including pigment and titanium metal feedstock.’ Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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