Variables
Description
What is this formula?
Leaching Recovery calculates the percentage of valuable metal that has been dissolved from an ore, concentrate, or residue into a leaching solution.
It is one of the most important performance indicators in hydrometallurgy because it quantifies the effectiveness of the leaching process.
Higher recovery values indicate more efficient metal extraction.
When to use it
Use this formula when evaluating heap leaching, tank leaching, pressure leaching, bioleaching, or any hydrometallurgical extraction process.
It is commonly used for process optimization and metallurgical accounting.
Example
A copper leaching operation processes ore containing:
Initial copper mass = 1000 kg
Copper dissolved into solution = 850 kg
Formula:
LR=(mDiss/mInit)*100
Substitution:
LR=(850/1000)*100
LR=85 %
Result:
The leaching operation recovered 85 % of the copper into solution.
Applications
- Heap leaching
- Tank leaching
- Pressure leaching
- Bioleaching
- Metallurgical accounting
- Process optimization
Note
Leaching Recovery is an operational performance indicator rather than a fundamental physical law. Recovery depends on mineralogy, particle size, reagent concentration, temperature, residence time, and mass-transfer conditions. Different operations may report recovery over different time periods or process stages.