Sortera Alloys, Inc. has achieved high-quality sorting of pre-production aluminum with more than 95 percent accuracy. These results help validate that Sortera's technology platform can handle complex sorting effectively and efficiently, specifically processing end-of-life mixed alloys by category and chemical composition. This allows the company to upcycle these materials back into the supply chain to be reused without losing the integrity and compound make-up of the materials, contributing to the circular economy of North America, and lowering the carbon and environmental impact on the planet.
Sortera's sorting platform sorts, captures, and recycles existing streams of mixed aluminum scrap into high-quality aluminum end products. The high-quality aluminum scrap created by Sortera is recirculated back into the manufacturing process to be used in high-value applications, such as automotive cast and flat-rolled products and building, construction, and aerospace extrusions. The company's sorting process enables aluminum manufacturers to use roughly only five percent of the energy required to manufacture aluminum alloys from virgin material, enabling the reduction of a CO₂ footprint.
"Our technology platform produces extremely high-resolution datasets that include information such as size, shape, texture, and chemical composition, for every single piece of scrap that is processed. The ability to resolve the aluminum alloy chemical composition within fractions of one percent, in real-time, enables high classification sorting accuracies to be achieved. In this fashion, Sortera's robotic industrial machinery can place each unique aluminum alloy into a different sorting bin, with a high throughput. Sortation of the mixed scrap pieces into unique aluminum alloys enables novel circular economies in the automotive industry to be created, which does not currently exist in the North American market," says Manuel Garcia, Jr. co-founder and vice president of AI and data science for Sortera Alloys.
Sortera's expansion into its new 200,000 sq. ft. processing facility in Markle, I.N. and hiring talent is on track with processing ramping up in Q1 2023. The Markle facility is a significant milestone for Sortera, as it looks to scale its operations and capture a significant portion of the 4 billion lbs. of scrap aluminum, which has been traditionally shipped abroad for processing or downgraded into lower-quality secondary materials. Sortera is creating new scrap packages that have previously been unavailable due to lack of technology. Alloy scrap that was previously downgraded can now be upgraded.
"As we improve on our technology and processes, we are thrilled to learn that our team has recently sorted mixed aluminum with greater than 95 percent accuracy. The ability to recycle scrap alloy into high-purity recycled feedstock used in key industries not only ensures that we can provide our customers with the materials they need in their respective industries, but also establishes our role as a strong player in the circular economy as we make significant contributions to combating climate impact," says Michael Siemer, CEO, Sortera Alloys.
Sortera enables the sorting of mixed aluminum materials, which have historically been downgraded, to now be upcycled, reducing the volume of primary aluminum needed in aluminum alloy products, such as sheets and extrusions, while lowering the cost of alloying additives in secondary aluminum alloys.
