The proportion of a target metal or mineral that a processing plant successfully extracts from the raw ore, expressed as a percentage. It measures the efficiency of the beneficiation process. High recovery means very little valuable material is lost to the tailings, which directly impacts the profitability of the mining operation.
Heard on the job
By optimizing the flotation circuit, we pushed our copper recovery up to eighty-eight percent this month.
Related terms
Beneficiate
To process raw mined ore to improve its grade by removing waste material.
Tailings
The waste material left over after the valuable minerals have been extracted from ore.
Flotation
A mineral separation method that uses chemical reagents and air bubbles to lift specific target minerals to the surface of a liquid bath.