Empire and Murdoch University target direct titanium output from Pitfield

Empire Metals and Murdoch University have secured a place in the Critical Metals for Critical Industries CRC for research into titanium production from Pitfield TiO2.

Under the project, the team will assess a route to make titanium metal directly from Pitfield’s TiO2 feedstock using molten salt electrolysis, or MSE, and other metal conversion technologies powered by renewable energy.

Early phases are scheduled to finish in early 2027. Those stages will test whether Pitfield TiO2 feedstock suits titanium metal production and set out a scale-up plan for larger, continuous pilot operations.

CMCI CRC operates under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme, which supports industry-led innovation and the commercialisation of critical metals refining technology.

In March 2026, the Australian Government awarded $53 million over ten years to the CMCI CRC. As a result, the group is backed to work on more resilient and secure critical mineral supply chains.

Molten salt electrolysis at Pitfield

Titanium metal is produced almost exclusively through the Kroll process. Developed in the 1940s, that batch method first converts TiO2 into titanium tetrachloride and then reduces it with magnesium.

Empire says the Kroll route uses high amounts of energy and labour. Because of that cost, titanium has largely stayed within aerospace, defence and medical applications despite its natural abundance.

By contrast, MSE reduces TiO2 feedstock directly to titanium metal in a single electrochemical step. That removes the titanium tetrachloride stage used in the Kroll process.

According to Empire, MSE could produce higher-purity titanium with lower energy use than the Kroll process. It could also reduce hazardous by-products and become more scalable and cost-effective if adapted into a continuous process.

If the work succeeds, it would support domestic titanium production in Australia. Empire also tied its CRC acceptance to the Pitfield Titanium Project in Western Australia and to broader Western titanium supply chains.

Empire Metals is listed on AIM under EEE and on OTCQX under EPMLF. The company focuses on developing the Pitfield Titanium Project in Western Australia.