How do you calculate co-precipitation efficiency?

Divide the metal recovered in the precursor solids by the metal fed to precipitation, then multiply by 100. With 8 kg recovered and 250 kg fed the efficiency is 3.2 percent, leaving a 91.8-point gap to a 95 percent target.

What is a good co-precipitation efficiency for NMC precursor?

Well-run hydroxide co-precipitation lines typically recover 97-99.5 percent of fed transition metal into the solids. Anything below about 95 percent points to real metal loss in the filtrate that is worth chasing, since nickel and cobalt are costly.

Why is my efficiency showing only 3.2 percent?

That example uses 8 kg recovered against 250 kg fed, which is a mass-basis mismatch, not a real plant yield. Make sure both numbers are contained-metal mass over the same batch; if recovered metal is genuinely 8 kg you have a major filtration or precipitation failure.

Where does the lost metal go?

Unrecovered transition metal leaves with the mother liquor and wash filtrate as dissolved sulfate. It either goes to metal-recovery polishing or to wastewater treatment, both of which add cost, so the gap-to-target number is effectively a loss alarm.

How is recovered metal actually measured?

By assaying the washed, dried precursor solids for metal content (ICP) and multiplying by mass, or by mass-balancing the filtrate assay against the feed. Feed metal comes from the sulfate solution concentration times volume dosed.

Efficiency vs gap to target — which should I track?

Track both. Efficiency tells you absolute yield; the gap-to-target converts it into an actionable distance from spec. A batch at 98.5 percent against a 99 percent target has a 0.5-point gap that may still be worth a corrective action on pH control.

Cathode Active Material & Precursor Manufacturing calculator

Co-Precipitation Efficiency Calculator

Co-precipitation efficiency measures how much of the transition metal fed into a precursor reactor actually ends up locked in the spherical hydroxide solids versus lost to the mother liquor and washwater. It is the single most important yield metric in pCAM manufacturing because every kilogram of nickel or cobalt that escapes to the filtrate is expensive metal sent to wastewater treatment or recovery. Precursor process engineers and plant managers track it per batch and per campaign to flag pH excursions, ammonia imbalance or filtration losses. The calculator also reports the gap to your efficiency target so you can see how far a batch sits from spec.

What this calculator does

Calculate how much dissolved metal feed reports to usable precursor solids instead of filtrate, wash water, off-spec material, or process loss.
Use it when co-precipitation efficiency in cathode active material and precursor manufacturing needs a clean rate and gap-to-target you can put on a tier board.
It computes the percentage of fed transition metal that reports to the precursor solids, plus the percentage-point gap between that result and your target efficiency.

Formula used

Co-precipitation efficiency = metal recovered in precursor solids ÷ metal fed to precipitation × 100
Co-precipitation gap to target = target co-precipitation efficiency - co-precipitation efficiency

Inputs explained

Metal recovered in precursor solids:
Metal fed to precipitation:
Target co-precipitation efficiency:

How to use the result

Use it to grade each co-precipitation batch, trend metal losses to the filtrate, or troubleshoot a campaign where yield is drifting below target.
Both inputs must be expressed as contained metal mass, not sulfate or hydroxide mass — mixing mass bases produces a meaningless ratio, as the low example result illustrates.

Common questions

How do you calculate co-precipitation efficiency? Divide the metal recovered in the precursor solids by the metal fed to precipitation, then multiply by 100. With 8 kg recovered and 250 kg fed the efficiency is 3.2 percent, leaving a 91.8-point gap to a 95 percent target.
What is a good co-precipitation efficiency for NMC precursor? Well-run hydroxide co-precipitation lines typically recover 97-99.5 percent of fed transition metal into the solids. Anything below about 95 percent points to real metal loss in the filtrate that is worth chasing, since nickel and cobalt are costly.
Why is my efficiency showing only 3.2 percent? That example uses 8 kg recovered against 250 kg fed, which is a mass-basis mismatch, not a real plant yield. Make sure both numbers are contained-metal mass over the same batch; if recovered metal is genuinely 8 kg you have a major filtration or precipitation failure.
Where does the lost metal go? Unrecovered transition metal leaves with the mother liquor and wash filtrate as dissolved sulfate. It either goes to metal-recovery polishing or to wastewater treatment, both of which add cost, so the gap-to-target number is effectively a loss alarm.
How is recovered metal actually measured? By assaying the washed, dried precursor solids for metal content (ICP) and multiplying by mass, or by mass-balancing the filtrate assay against the feed. Feed metal comes from the sulfate solution concentration times volume dosed.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.