ImpactAlpha, December 1 — Aluminum, an essential material for construction and transportation, is responsible for 1.1 billion metric tons of carbon emissions each year, and demand is expected to grow more than 50% by 2050.
Sorted aluminum alloy feedstock is a $10 billion market, says Soltera’s Nalin Kumar. The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based startup uses AI-powered imaging and sensors to recycle aluminum from car scrap metal for automakers and other manufacturers.
Circular economy
The venture arm of Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy led Sortera’s $10 million round.
“The auto industry should be very excited about Sortera’s ability to deliver high purity recycled materials without the cost and negative impact of producing virgin metal feed stocks,” said Breakthrough Energy’s Carmichael Roberts.
Sortera is shipping truckloads of aluminum from a 10-acre pilot facility and plans to open a production facility next year.
