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Lithium DMS Recovery Calculator

Calculate lithium (Li₂O) recovery and yield to the sinks in a dense-medium separation (DMS), plus mass rejection, upgrade and contained lithium, from sink/float grades and optional tonnes.

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How to use this calculator

Enter values

Calculated results

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More needed
  • Enter feed, sink and float Li₂O grades.

Valuable product defaults to sinks (spodumene). LCE is a theoretical equivalent only.

Before you rely on this: First-pass guide only. Verify safety-critical or regulated work against the relevant standards, your project requirements and a qualified professional.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the feed, sinks (product) and floats (reject) Li₂O grades in the same unit.
  2. Optionally add the feed and sink dry tonnes for contained Li₂O / Li / LCE.
  3. Read sink yield, Li₂O recovery to sinks, mass rejection to floats and the upgrade ratio.

How it works

For a two-product DMS, sink yield Y = (f − float)/(sink − float) and Li₂O recovery to sinks = Y · sink/f, where f, sink and float are the Li₂O grades. Mass rejection to floats is 1 − Y, and the Li₂O lost to floats is (1 − Y) · float/f. Spodumene reports to the sinks, so this page defaults the valuable product to the sink stream.

Contained lithium is reported using the same fixed factors as the other lithium tools (Li₂O → Li = 0.4645403; Li₂O → theoretical LCE = 2.4729074). Density-partition metrics (D25/D50/D75, Ep) belong to a fractional sink-float test and are out of scope for this first-pass grade balance.

Worked example

Feed 1.2% Li₂O splitting to 6.0% sinks and 0.352941% floats. Sink yield = (1.2 − 0.352941)/(6.0 − 0.352941) = 15.0%. Li₂O recovery to sinks = 0.15 × 6.0/1.2 = 75.0%. Mass rejection to floats = 85.0%, and the upgrade ratio is 6.0/1.2 = 5.0×. Feeding 1,000 t gives 150 t of sinks containing 9.0 t Li₂O.

Common mistakes

  • Swapping sinks and floats — spodumene (the dense, valuable mineral) reports to the sinks.
  • Confusing ore SG with medium density — they are different quantities and are not interchangeable.
  • Reading DMS upgrade as final product grade; downstream flotation usually follows.

Frequently asked questions

Does DMS always send the product to the sinks?

For lithium (spodumene) yes — it is dense and reports to the sinks. Other commodities can differ, so always confirm the product direction for your ore.

Can I get the cut density (D50) here?

Not from a two-product grade balance. D25/D50/D75 and Ep require a fractional density (float-sink) test analysed across density intervals.

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Cite this tool

Zerdly. (2026). Lithium DMS Recovery Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.zerdly.com/tools/lithium-dms-recovery-calculator/

Tip: Enter any known values to calculate the remaining results.

All calculations run in your browser. Your inputs are never saved or transmitted.