Locus Mining's FrothBoost™ Supports Mineral Recovery as Energy, Data Center and Infrastructure Growth Drives Demand for Metals

FrothBoost™ is designed to help mining operations improve recovery, selectivity and froth performance as expanding power, digital and industrial infrastructure increases demand for critical minerals

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As expanding power grids, data centers, advanced manufacturing and electrification increase the need for metals and minerals, mining operations are under growing pressure to recover more value from increasingly complex and lower-grade ores. Locus Mining, a division of Locus Fermentation Solutions is supporting that need with FrothBoost™, a biosurfactant-enhanced flotation chemistry designed to improve mineral recovery, separation selectivity and froth quality within existing processing circuits.

Flotation performance is defined by how chemistry controls recovery, selectivity and froth behavior under real operating conditions. When those interactions break down, operators can experience lower recovery, reduced concentrate quality, excess water entrainment and inconsistent froth performance.

FrothBoost applies Locus Fermentation Solutions' experience in biosurfactant chemistry to these circuit-level constraints. The product also builds on the company's oil and gas expertise, where fluid behavior, surface interaction, wettability and dispersibility directly influence performance.

"Mining operators are under constant pressure to improve recovery and concentrate quality without creating major process disruption," said Dr. Michael Nuamah, Senior Director of Sales, Locus Mining. "FrothBoost brings biosurfactant-enhanced chemistry to the application level, targeting the specific recovery, selectivity and froth constraints that limit circuit performance. It also reflects how we are translating our experience in oil and gas into practical, measurable value for mineral processing."

Targeting circuit-level flotation constraints

During flotation, finely ground ore is combined with water, air and processing chemistry to separate valuable minerals from gangue. FrothBoost is designed to influence these interfacial interactions, supporting mineral attachment, froth stability and separation under variable ore and water conditions. Through structured testing, Locus evaluates circuit-specific requirements, isolates the chemistry and interfacial drivers limiting performance, and validates improvements against defined operational KPIs.

Designed for real mineral processing conditions

FrothBoost has been evaluated across multiple mineral applications, including gold, copper, molybdenum, iron and coal, with testing programs designed around the mineralogy, baseline reagent scheme and performance objectives of each application.

Across gold, copper, molybdenum and iron ore evaluations, FrothBoost formulations have demonstrated measurable improvements in flotation performance compared to the incumbent reagent scheme in laboratory testing conditions.

• In Gold: recovery increased 2.3 pp (from 85.7% to 88.0%) while also increasing concentrate grade from 44.9% to 59.7%.
• In Copper: recovery increased 6.3 pp (from 66.8% to 73.1%)
• In molybdenum: recovery increased 12.5 pp (from 80.4% to 92.9%) while copper recovery remained comparable to the baseline.
• In Iron: recovery increased 5.8 pp (from 70.8% 76.6%) while also improving separation efficiency and selectivity.

"The opportunity is not simply to introduce a different chemistry," said Dr. Megan Pearl, Vice President, Global Technology, Locus Fermentation Solutions. "It is to identify where chemistry is limiting performance, apply a targeted solution and validate the result. Our goal is to rapidly identify formulations, leveraging our growing experience and database across ore types, that improve measurable outcomes within the recovery, grade and selectivity requirements of each operation."

Evaluation typically begins with customer ore samples tested by Locus, followed by customer laboratory confirmation and, where results warrant, pilot-plant or in-plant trials. This measured pathway combines controlled testing, application-specific performance data and operating-environment validation to confirm compatibility with each site's ore, water, operation and process requirements before broader deployment.

Mining operators looking to improve flotation recovery, concentrate grade and froth quality can engage Locus to evaluate FrothBoost against their specific ore, water and process conditions.

Contact Information

For more information visit LocusFS.com or if you'd like to begin the testing process, contact Michael Nuamah at [email protected] 

Media Contact: Matt Prissel
Contact Info: [email protected]

About Locus Mining

Locus Mining is the mineral processing division of Locus Fermentation Solutions, a global leader in biomanufacturing. The company develops biosurfactant-enhanced reagents designed to improve mineral recovery, separation selectivity and froth performance within existing flotation circuits — without requiring changes to current operations. Formulations have demonstrated measurable improvements in recovery and selectivity across gold, copper, molybdenum and iron ore flotation evaluations, with a structured pathway from ore-sample testing to pilot and in-plant trials. All solutions are backed by expert technical support and application-specific testing.

SOURCE Locus Mining