Variables
Description
What is this formula?
Metallurgical Recovery calculates the percentage of valuable metal contained in the feed that is successfully recovered into the concentrate during a beneficiation or extraction process.
It is one of the most important performance indicators in mineral processing, flotation, gravity concentration, magnetic separation, and hydrometallurgical operations.
When to use it
Use this formula when evaluating the efficiency of a mineral processing circuit and determining how much of the valuable metal is recovered into the final concentrate.
Example
A flotation plant processes:
Feed mass = 1000 t
Feed grade = 1.2 %
Concentrate mass = 80 t
Concentrate grade = 12 %
Formula:
R=(C*c)/(F*f)*100
Substitution:
R=(80*12)/(1000*1.2)*100
R=80 %
Result:
The plant recovers 80 % of the valuable metal contained in the feed.
Applications
- Flotation circuit evaluation
- Mineral beneficiation plants
- Concentrator performance monitoring
- Metallurgical accounting
- Process optimization
- Mining feasibility studies
Note
Metallurgical recovery is a performance indicator rather than a fundamental physical law. Reported values depend on sampling quality, assay accuracy, moisture corrections, and metallurgical accounting procedures. Alternative definitions may be used for specific unit operations or complete plant balances.