Leucoxene is a fine, granular alteration product of titanium minerals consisting mainly of rutile or anatase. Leucoxene is formed through extensive weathering of ilmenite and displays a higher titanium dioxide (TiO2) content. Although it is not a recognised mineral species, the name has been applied to products with a Ti02 titanium content ranging from 70% to 93%, but increasingly is limited to material having a typical TiO2 content of 90-91%.

Leucoxene is the major constituent of Matilda’s Keysbrook deposit. The material from Keysbrook is a high quality leucoxene product containing more than 90% TiO2 and once in operation, the Keysbrook project will be the single biggest producer of leucoxene in the world.

The key producing countries for leucoxene are Australia, South Africa and the USA. Leucoxene is either sold for use in welding electrodes which is a relatively small market or as one of several feedstocks for titanium pigment plants. In the welding applications, the product is used as a fluxing agent in the welding electrodes which are used extensively in shipbuilding and civil engineering. China has been a strong market for leucoxene for this purpose driven by its booming construction industry.

The majority of the leucoxene produced at Matilda’s Keysbrook project is expected to be sold as a feed for pigment plant. Leucoxene produces a white powder which is highly refractive and ultra-violet absorbing. It is used as an opacifier in house and car paints, sunscreens, plastics, paper, and textiles.