Recycling can be complicated. The process can be even more daunting for industrial facilities sorting scrap metals like aluminum and other hard-to-recycle mixed parts. Now, a startup from Fort Wayne, Indiana, has found a way to relieve the burden on manufacturers by leveraging AI.
Whereas scrap metal is hard to sort, Sortera’s patented AI technology generates high-quality metal alloys at a low cost so businesses can reuse them as essential feedstocks for domestic manufacturing. Most scrap is exported abroad, manually sorted into aluminum, copper, brass, zinc, and stainless steel, or melted into lower-quality materials with limited applications. Sortera’s highly automated sorting facilities preserve valuable materials before they are lost, allowing them to be repurposed and reclaimed in other industries, like the automotive sector.
“Things that are end-of-life — like our cars, washing machines, and so forth — what happens is it gets shredded, and then all that mixed material now is no longer valuable, [and] nobody can use it,” CEO of Sortera Michael Siemer told CNBC. “We sort it so that all those pieces then can be reused.”
The company purchases scrap metal from recycling yards and sorts the components into their respective categories using proprietary sensors. Its AI-based processing technology also eliminates excess waste material. CNBC reports that the novel feedstock is then sold to leading aluminum solutions providers like closed-loop industrial powerhouse Novelis.
According to Sortera, the company’s waste recovery process is 95% less energy-intensive than manufacturing aluminum alloys from scratch. Additionally, Sortera can sort items with a 95% accuracy rate.
Currently, Sortera recycles only aluminum. However, it plans to expand its recycling capabilities soon to incorporate other standard scrap metals like copper and steel.
Founded in 2020, the firm has raised $66.4 million in funding, according to Crunchbase data, with the majority secured in July of 2024. The funds will be used to scale up its first plant in Markle, Indiana, and initiate the development of a second facility.
Decarbonizing heavy industry will best be achieved by advancing solutions that can help manufacturers reduce their bottom line and spur investment in domestic markets, which are crucial for fostering a vibrant circular economy. Cost-effective solutions like Sortera’s advanced sorting platform are an essential step in that direction.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.