Variables
Description
What is this formula?
Recovery measures the percentage of a valuable component that is successfully recovered from the feed and transferred into the desired product stream during a separation process.
When to use it
Use this formula when evaluating the performance of distillation columns, extraction systems, flotation circuits, filtration units, crystallization processes, or any operation designed to recover a target component.
Example
A feed stream contains 500 kg of copper. After solvent extraction and electrowinning, 450 kg of copper is recovered in the final product.
Formula:
R = (mp / mf) × 100
Substitution:
R = (450 / 500) × 100
Result:
R = 90%
The process recovers 90% of the copper originally present in the feed.
Applications
- Distillation processes
- Solvent extraction
- Hydrometallurgy
- Mineral processing
- Wastewater treatment
- Pharmaceutical separations
Note
Recovery alone does not indicate product quality. A process can achieve high recovery while producing a low-purity product. Recovery is therefore commonly evaluated together with purity, selectivity, and enrichment factor.