Aluminum prices rose by 20 percent: Startups are profiting using AI
Recently, global aluminum prices reached their highest level in decades. Amid global conflicts and logistics issues, the price of this metal has risen by 20 percent. At a time when the US government has declared aluminum a strategically important mineral, startups involved in waste recycling are striving to maximize profits from this situation using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports .
According to Matanya Horowitz, CTO of the startup Amp, although aluminum accounts for only 1 percent of total waste, a ton of it sells for over $1,000. This makes it the most profitable raw material in the recycling industry. According to the EPA, only 20 percent of aluminum is currently being recycled, while the rest is wasted. Companies like Sortera and Amp aim to drastically increase this figure with the help of AI.
The startup Sortera has launched its second major facility in Tennessee. The company uses a suite of sensors, including lasers, cameras, and X-ray fluorescence. AI algorithms analyze each piece of metal, determining its composition and grade with high precision. This method improves the quality of aluminum sorting and allows for increased profit from every kilogram of product.
Amp has chosen a different approach: their AI system uses infrared cameras to identify and separate aluminum foil and containers from mixed waste moving along a conveyor belt. Robotic arms and pneumatic systems sort the metal with over 90 percent accuracy. Such technologies serve to reduce the domestic aluminum shortage and save resources that are vital for the economy.
