REG - Empire Metals Ltd - Exceptional Testwork Results Achieved at Pitfield

Empire MetalsAnnouncement

09/12/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 2497P  Empire Metals Limited  09 December 2024

Empire Metals Limited / LON: EEE / Sector: Natural Resources

9 December 2024

Empire Metals Limited

("Empire" or "the Company")

 

Exceptional Testwork Results Achieved on Titanium-rich Heavy Mineral
Concentrate Samples

Unlocking the Potential of a Giant Titanium Project

 

Empire Metals Limited (LON: EEE), the AIM-quoted resource exploration and
development company, is pleased to announce exceptional results from the
hydrometallurgical testwork carried out on heavy mineral concentrates from the
Pitfield Project ('Pitfield'), located in Western Australia. Acid leaching of
the anatase-rich heavy mineral concentrate from gravity testwork resulted in
almost complete extraction of the titanium from the anatase. The result is
major step forward in achieving a key objective of the Company to developing a
process that will produce a high value +95% titanium dioxide (TiO₂) product.

 

Highlights

 

·    High-value product potential: quality TiO₂ is in high demand, with
global market prices ranging from $2,400 to over $4,000 per tonne for TiO₂
pigments and between $8,000 to $12,000 per tonne for titanium sponge 1 .

 

·   Exceptional recovery rates: Initial leach tests achieved 95%
dissolution of the most important titanium mineral, anatase, from heavy
mineral concentrates.

 

·  Straightforward processing route: A combination of gravity and
flotation techniques offers a straightforward processing method to produce a
clean, anatase-rich concentrate, which can be further upgraded via acid
leaching to yield high-grade, high-purity TiO₂.

 

·    Strategic advantage: The weathered cap at Pitfield is rich in
anatase, it is the key titanium-bearing mineral, positioning the project as a
significant source of high quality TiO(2)product.

 

·    Progressive development: Empire's fully funded metallurgical testwork
programme continues, with the team optimising recoveries and refining the
flowsheet with input from leading industry experts. Regular updates will keep
stakeholders informed.

 

·   Geopolitical market dynamics: TiO₂ demand is robust and growing.
Supply constraints are increasing in light of recent geopolitical
developments, including Russia's proposed restrictions on titanium exports and
European Union ('EU') and USA tariffs on Chinese production, which are
expected to tighten global supply chains for titanium products

 

·   Critical Mineral: In November 2024 the UK was the latest country to
add titanium to its critical minerals list. It is also on the critical
minerals list in the USA, Australia and the EU.

 

Shaun Bunn, Managing Director, said: "I am extremely pleased to report that
the initial "diagnostic" leach tests on the titanium-rich heavy mineral
concentrates from gravity testwork, using an industry standard acid bake -
water wash leaching process, resulted in 95% dissolution of the contained
anatase, an exceptional result. The combination of gravity and flotation
mineral separation techniques shows significant promise as a simple and
conventional processing route for producing a clean anatase rich mineral
concentrate which can then undergo further beneficiation via an acid leach to
recover the TiO(2) into a high-grade, high-purity concentrate.

 

"We are excited by these results, and they align with our goal to produce a
high-grade, high purity titanium dioxide product for which there is strong
demand and tightening supply due to market dynamics and increasing
geopolitical tensions globally. We look forward to updating the market on
additional testwork currently being carried out as we continue to rapidly
advance our project."

 

Positive Hydrometallurgical Testwork Results

A heavy mineral concentrate was generated from a composite sample of the
weathered zone, taken from the diamond drilling at the Cosgrove prospect (hole
DD24COS002). This core sample underwent gravity separation and a heavy mineral
concentrate (>3.6 and <4.4 SG) was produced, containing 12% TiO(2)
including 6.5% as the mineral anatase.

 

Preliminary sighter leach testwork was carried out on this anatase-rich, heavy
mineral concentrate using an industry standard acid bake - water wash leaching
process. The leach response was very positive with 95% dissolution achieved on
the anatase, whilst gangue silicate dissolution was 29% and iron oxides and
hydroxides were only 13% (Table 1). These results confirm that the clean
anatase contained within the Pitfield weathered zone can be easily leached
through relatively simple and known hydrometallurgical processes.

 

The concentrate sample also contained approx. 7% Fe-Ti-oxide group minerals
(this includes iron and titanium oxide minerals of varying composition, in a
spectrum of weathering states). Dissolution of this mineral class was low
under the conditions tested and further work is planned to improve the
extraction from this mineral group. Further analysis of the minerology across
the exploration targets will focus on the Fe-Ti-oxide minerals, to deliver a
flowsheet that is optimised for titanium extraction from all minerals.

 

This test was the first in a series planned to test concepts from industry and
literature. Further work will examine a wide range of options for maximising
titanium recovery from the Pitfield weathered zone.  Ore characterisation
work on the samples taken from the recent diamond drilling programme will also
continue in order to develop an understanding of the distribution of titanium
bearing minerals in the weathered zone.

 

Table 1 Sighter Leach Elemental and Mineral Extraction

 Elemental Extraction (%)      Mineral Extraction (%)
 Ca             45             Anatase               95
 Cr             22             Titanite              49
 Fe             17             Ilmenite              0.3
 Mg             60             Fe-Oxides/Hydroxides  13
 Si             2              Gangue Silicates      29

 

 Figure 1 : Water leach in progress

 Figure 2: Water leach residue -remaining solids that have not dissolved in the
 acid bake water leach process.

 

 

Ongoing Flowsheet Optimisation

The Company continues to rapidly advance the process flowsheet development
testwork and has initiated a number of work programmes, testing the various
key components that are expected to form the basis of a metallurgical
flowsheet ahead of designing a continuous pilot plant.

 

The key components currently under review include:

 

1.    Ore Characterisation - Comminution

 

Standard comminution tests have been undertaken on mineralised drill core
samples collected from the fresh bedrock as well as the overlying weathered
cap zone to provide information on rock competency and energy input for
breakage requirements. The weathered zone material was confirmed to be very
soft whereas the fresh bedrock, whilst more competent, is expected to fracture
easily due to the bedding layers within the sandstone sediments. The new
metallurgical samples prepared from the recently drilled diamond 'PQ' core
have been submitted to the laboratories for a full range of comminution tests
including low energy attritioning and wet scrubbing techniques.

 

2.    Mineral Concentration

 

A heavy mineral concentrate was achieved from the preliminary gravity tabling
tests on the anatase-rich weathered zone samples, with high a recovery of
titanium and iron (up to 80% and 92% respectively) and importantly a high
rejection of aluminium and silica minerals.

 

Following on from these successful gravity separation tests, completed on the
deslimed weathered core samples, further optimisation work is underway looking
at testing metallurgical processes that can further separate out the gangue
minerals from titanium bearing minerals. The key mineral concentration
techniques currently under investigation include:

 

·    Additional gravity separation testwork, looking at regrinding and
recycling various middling streams and testing the application of a Multi
Gravity Separator (MGS): initial tests successfully produced a low-grade
mineral waste stream and a titanium-rich mineral concentrate for further
downstream processing however further concentration of the titanium should be
achievable with the rejection of the iron-oxide minerals from the heavy
mineral concentrate;

 

·    Magnetic separation testwork is underway focused on separating weakly
magnetic minerals, like the Fe-Ti-oxide minerals, from the non-magnetic
minerals such as quartz or hematite;

 

·    Preliminary froth flotation testwork on the weathered samples has also
been positive. Sighter rougher tests produced a concentrate containing 78% of
the TiO(2) bearing minerals with a rougher concentrate grade of 8.8%
TiO(2).Froth Flotation testwork has also commenced, focused on separating the
finer gangue minerals from the titanium bearing minerals within the slime
fraction. The slimes consist mainly of kaolin clays, which can be used to
produce "China Clay", and contain some anatase which can be recovered
separately.

 

3.    Beneficiation

 

Bench-scale testwork is continuing on the leach response of both the titanium
minerals and the associated gangue minerals, initially focused on bringing the
titanium into solution, and then looking to optimise the leach solution
chemistry and define the process steps for product finishing. The testwork is
assessing acid types (HCl and H(2)SO(4)) and their consumption, options for
reagent recycling, impurity management and options for producing a final
high-purity titanium product.

 

4.    Final product assessment

A high-grade, high-purity titanium product suitable as feedstock for chloride
pigment production or conversion into titanium metal sponge has been
identified as the most desirable final product for the project. The possible
process chemistries in the leaching step provide a good synergy with this type
of final product. The potential to produce a range of different products,
depending on market demand, will be investigated in the testwork programme.
Additionally, any opportunity to produce a viable by-product and to reduce
waste streams is being explored.

 

The Pitfield Titanium Project

Located within the Mid-West region of Western Australia, near the northern
wheatbelt town of Three Springs, the Pitfield titanium project lies 313km
north of Perth and 156km southeast of Geraldton, the Mid West region's capital
and major port. Western Australia is ranked as one of the top mining
jurisdictions in the world according to the Fraser Institute's Investment
Attractiveness Index published in 2023, and has mining-friendly policies,
stable government, transparency, and advanced technology expertise. Pitfield
has existing connections to port (both road & rail), HV power substations,
and is nearby to natural gas pipelines as well as a green energy hydrogen fuel
hub, which is under planning and development (refer Figure 3).

Figure 3. Pitfield Project Location showing the Mid-West Region Infrastructure
and Services

 

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed
inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No
596/2014, as incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act
2018, until the release of this announcement.

 

**ENDS**

 

For further information please visit www.empiremetals.co.uk
(http://www.empiremetals.co.uk) or contact:

 Empire Metals Ltd

 Shaun Bunn / Greg Kuenzel / Arabella Burwell                                  Tel: 020 4583 1440
 S. P. Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nomad & Broker)                            Tel: 020 3470 0470

 Ewan Leggat / Adam Cowl
 Shard Capital Partners LLP (Joint Broker)                                     Tel: 020 7186 9950

 Damon Heath
 St Brides Partners Ltd (Financial PR)                                         Tel: 020 7236 1177

 Susie Geliher / Charlotte Page

 

About Empire Metals Limited

Empire Metals is an AIM-listed exploration and resource development company
(LON: EEE) with a primary focus on developing Pitfield, an emerging giant
titanium project in Western Australia.

 

Exploration activity at Pitfield has confirmed the discovery of a new giant
mineralised system extending over 40km by 8km by 5km deep. Drilling campaigns
have confirmed high-grade TiO₂ mineralised zones across thick bedded
intervals to a vertical depth of ~350m, confirming Pitfield as a world class,
district-scale titanium mineral system.

 

Empire is now accelerating the economic development of Pitfield, with the
objective of becoming a leading producer of high value titanium dioxide
products.

 

The Company also has two further exploration projects in Australia; the
Eclipse Project and the Walton Project in Western Australia, in addition to
three precious metals projects located in a historically high-grade gold
producing region of Austria.

 

 

 1  Source: TiPMC - pricing is based on historical analysis of the latest
pricing cycles.  Range includes both low tier and top tier quality products.
Titanium sponge pricing covers both industrial and aerospace grades.

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