Concentrate

The upgraded product a mine ships — ore reduced to a fraction of its bulk with most of the metal retained.

Definition

The product of mineral processing that contains elevated concentrations of valuable metals. Concentrates are typically shipped to smelters for final metal recovery. For example, a copper concentrate might contain 25-30% copper.

Why it matters

Selling concentrate rather than metal means a third party sets much of your economics. Treatment and refining charges, payable percentages and impurity penalties are all negotiated, and none of them appear in a headline grade.

See also

  • Flotation A mineral processing method that uses chemical reagents and air bubbles to separate valuable minerals from was
  • Metallurgical Recovery The percentage of valuable metal that can be extracted from ore during processing. For example, 90% gold recov
  • Spodumene A lithium-bearing mineral (LiAlSi2O6) found in pegmatite deposits. Spodumene is the primary source mineral for
  • Polymetallic Deposit A mineral deposit containing economically significant quantities of two or more metals, such as copper-gold, z

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