🔥 Subeconomic ore: problem or hidden resource? In open-pit mining of non-ferrous and precious metals, ore losses can reach 20–35%. The boundary zones are particularly challenging, where economic ore meets subeconomic material – contacts are often diffuse, and valuable components end up in the waste dump. On the scale of an open-pit mine, this translates to millions of dollars lost annually. ❗️ The core idea is to achieve complete recovery of economic ore by controlled admixing of a thin layer of subeconomic material. The method relies on analyzing exploration borehole data and mathematical modeling. What did the analysis show? At five copper and gold deposits in Kazakhstan (Kaskyrkazgan, Koktas-Sharykty, Yuzhny-Mointy, Naiman-Zhal), it was established that the ore grade in the boundary zone of subeconomic ore decreases exponentially. Based on this data, a mathematical model was developed to predict the grade in any layer. 🔍 What was tested in practice? Options for admixing subeconomic ore layers of varying thickness were examined: 🔹 0.3 m – deviation in shipped ore grade 2–9%, recovery to concentrate remains within acceptable limits; 🔹 0.7 m – deviations 6–24%, but concentrate quality remains acceptable; 🔹 1.0 m – deviations up to 31% (acceptable for certain ore types). ✅ Main conclusion: admixing a layer up to 0.3–0.7 m allows to: ✔️ increase the volume of extracted ore; ✔️ improve the recovery of metals to concentrate; ✔️ maintain the required quality of the final product. 💰 Economic impact For a copper open-pit mine (6–7 Mt/year, Cu grade 0.45%, with complex-structured blocks accounting for 50–60% of total production), the additional copper recovery could reach 10–15% of total output. This translates to approximately $15.3 million per year at a copper price of $8,500/t. 📖 Details of the calculations, the model, and experimental data can be found in the article: 🔗 Rakishev B.R., Edil’baev A.I., Orynbay A.A., Ibyrkhanov T.S. Variation of ore grades in the boundary zone of subeconomic ore. Mining Science and Technology (Russia). 2025;10(3):205–220. https://doi.org/10.17073/2500-0632-2025-04-395 🔔 More research – follow our Telegram channel: t.me/MinSciTech #inEnglish #MST #MiningIndustry #OreLosses #SubeconomicOre #ComplexStructuredDeposits #OreProcessing #Kazakhstan #EconomicEfficiency