Metso Launches Sampo Cell to Improve Coarse Particle Recovery
Metso’s Sampo Cell Targets Higher Mineral Recovery With Coarse Particle Flotation
Metso has launched the Sampo Cell, a new coarse particle flotation technology designed to improve the recovery of valuable minerals without compromising the recovery of finer particles.
The technology aims to address a key limitation of conventional flotation circuits, which typically require extensive grinding to bring ore particles into a size range suitable for efficient recovery. Sampo Cell expands flotation performance to coarser and less-liberated particles, potentially reducing mineral losses.
The system uses a froth-feeding principle that introduces slurry directly into the froth phase, where separation occurs under low-turbulence conditions. This reduces particle detachment and allows the recovery of coarse particles that can otherwise be lost in conventional flotation cells.
Sampo Cell can be deployed for front-end gangue rejection or as a scavenger stage to recover valuable minerals from intermediate or final tailings. Its design also eliminates the need for feed classification, fluidisation water and additional concentrate dewatering stages, reducing equipment requirements and simplifying integration into existing processing plants.
Metso said the technology had been operating continuously at industrial scale since March 2026 at a copper mine in Chile, where it was being used in scavenger duty. The company reported a significant increase in overall plant recovery by capturing particles that would typically be lost through conventional flotation.
The Chilean operation has also provided industrial-scale validation of the technology’s performance and scalability, according to Metso. The company said the system could improve plant recovery without requiring major modifications to existing flotation circuits.
The Sampo Cell forms part of Metso’s wider minerals-processing portfolio, with the technology aimed at improving resource recovery while supporting lower energy and water consumption across mineral processing operations.
