Leading titanium dioxide (TiO2) producer, Chemours, has kicked off commissioning at Trail Ridge South (TRS), an expansion of its existing Trial Ridge operation in Clay County, Florida, USA.

With operational aspects currently being reviewed, Chemours aims to officially start up before the end of the year. The US$93M investment will include a separation plant, mobile concentrator and two Mobile Mining Units (MMUs), which are novel mining machinery developed by Australia-headquartered, Mineral Technologies. The equipment is designed to reduce dependency on traditional dredge mining processes and has already been tested at Chemours’ Jesup site in Georgia.  Compared to conventional dredge mining, the MMUs are reported to reduce operational costs, lower emissions, minimize environmental impact and lower safety risks otherwise associated with truck and shovel mining. Other advancements at TRS will also include the recycling of 98% of its water used in mineral transportation and processes.

Heavy minerals like ilmenite, rutile, and zircon are significant sources of titanium and zirconium feedstock, which are used in many diversified applications in modern industries. Currently, Chemours is the only US producer of titanium and zirconium minerals and outside of MP Materials’ Mountain Pass mine, is the only other rare earth element (REE) mineral producer, extracted as a monazite by-product. Therefore, this expansion represents an important move in securing a stable domestic supply of titanium and zirconium, both of which are present in the US 2022 List of Critical Minerals, compiled by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Within the global context, titanium and zirconium are ranked 23 and 34 (out of 40), respectively, on Project Blue’s Critical Material Risk Index (CMRI).