Shares in Astron , the China-based producer of metals and chemicals from mineral sands reached a four-and-a-half-year high on the All Ordinaries Index this week. The company, which is the largest zirconium chemical producer in the world, is taking strategic action to move into the higher margin titanium market. It previously sold its Chinese zirconium chemical operations to French miner Imerys. The Donald Minerals Sands project located in the Murray Basin – where ASX 200 index leader Iluka also has operations, has an inferred resource of about 5.2 megatonnes of zircon along with other minerals.