AI-Powered Upcycling Leader to Open Second State-of-the-Art Facility in Tennessee, Cementing Domestic Supply of High-Value Recycled Aluminum
MARKLE, Ind., Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Sortera Technologies, Inc., the market leading aluminum sorting company with an upcycling platform powered by artificial intelligence, data analytics, and advanced sensors, today announced the close of $45 million in funding led by accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates and VXI Capital, with participation from Yamaha Motor Ventures and Overlay Capital; with an additional equipment funding from Trinity Capital. This funding fuels Sortera’s next phase of growth as a major domestic supplier of metals upcycled from waste. In addition to the funding, Sortera is announcing plans for its second state-of-the-art processing facility in Lebanon, Tennessee. This expansion—driven by overwhelming demand and success at the flagship Markle, Indiana facility—will bring Sortera’s innovative recycling solutions closer to its growing customer base.
Sortera Technologies is changing the way the world recycles aluminum. Using artificial intelligence and advanced sensors, the company sorts mixed aluminum scrap into specific alloys that can replace imported primary aluminum. Sortera brings new life to old metal. Since launching operations at its 200,000 sq. ft. Markle facility in Q1 2023, Sortera has experienced significant customer demand for its high-quality recycled aluminum alloys.
Sortera is now the only company producing end-of-life recycled aluminum products, including 380, 356, 319, and wrought (3105 and others). Each product is specifically designed to match the chemistry of common casting and rolling alloys. Sortera also produces low-silicon wrought packages and polished end-of-life aluminum die cast for direct use in 380 applications. The Markle facility demonstrates Sortera’s technological success at transforming mixed alloy scrap—historically downgraded or shipped overseas—into high-value materials for critical applications in the automotive, construction, and aerospace industries.
“The performance of our Markle facility and the enthusiastic response from our customers have made it clear: the domestic market is hungry for sustainable, high-quality recycled aluminum,” said Michael Siemer, CEO of Sortera Technologies. “The robust investor confidence that powered this funding, coupled with the proven customer demand that necessitates our expansion into Tennessee, is a direct result of this success. This expansion allows us to significantly increase our capacity and establish a presence closer to many of our key customers—particularly in the automotive sector—further streamlining supply chains and enhancing our service capabilities.”
Sortera’s proprietary technology is a game-changer, enabling the precise sorting and capture of valuable aluminum from scrap streams. Its AI-enabled multi-sensor sorting systems with blending capabilities support customer-specific alloy composition requirements. Sortera’s in-house developed software platform and industry-leading data collection of end-of-life materials address customer demands for these high-quality upcycled products. This process diverts billions of pounds of material from going overseas and dramatically reduces the energy required for aluminum production by approximately 95% compared to manufacturing from virgin materials. This translates into a substantial reduction in CO2 footprint for Sortera’s customers, supporting their ambitious sustainability and circular production goals.
The new Tennessee facility will mirror the advanced capabilities of the Markle operation, thereby cementing Sortera’s commitment to solving the entire mixed aluminum problem—specifically addressing the cast, sheet, and extrusion upgrade challenge. Simultaneously, this expansion will build a robust, domestic circular economy for critical metals. The strategic location in Tennessee will improve logistics and provide a more localized supply of high-quality recycled content to regional manufacturers, potentially increasing Sortera’s annual production capacity to ~240 million pounds. This will ultimately help manufacturers lower costs and pollution while strengthening the domestic supply chain.
Sortera expects that the new facility will be operational by the summer of 2026, and further details regarding the specifics will be communicated in the coming months.
About Sortera Technologies, Inc.
Sortera Technologies, Inc. brings state-of-the-art artificial intelligence data analytics to the recycling industry. This disruptive technology drives new paradigms by generating new upcycled products through advanced sortation methods. Creating novel recycled metal fractions from existing scrap recycling streams enables the domestic production of metals for manufacturing, boosting the strength of the circular economy. Sortera is led by a team of seasoned innovators in the fields of advanced materials, electronic instrumentation, and equipment development. To date, Sortera has attracted notable investors, including RA Capital Management-Planetary Health, certain funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., the Mineral Resources Group, a part of Mitsubishi Corporation’s Business Incubation Unit, Macquarie GIG Energy Transition Solutions (“MGETS”), Assembly Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Chrysalix. For more information visit: www.sorteratech.com.
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SOURCE Sortera Technologies, Inc.
