Levitated Metals recently installed a new scrap sorting system, including the AUTOSORT™ PULSE and XTRACT™ x-ray systems, at its plant in New Caney, Texas. These technologies provide a comprehensive elemental breakdown of the scrap materials, allowing for a more precise aluminum alloy product.
Expanded Scrap Sorting Capabilities
Founded in 2019, Levitated Metals is a subsidiary of Mervis Industries, a full-service recycling, processing, and manufacturing company based in Danville, Illinois. When it was constructed, Levitated’s zorba processing plant was designed with a two-stage flotation process, which enabled it to generate high-quality twitch (with low magnesium and iron content) from zorba feedstock.
The process delivered A380 and ADC12 aluminum products for domestic and international aluminum smelter customers. However, “the furthest we could take the plant was sorting all aluminum — cast and wrought — into one pile,” explained Ronak Shah, president of Levitated Metals.
Therefore, the company began looking for ways to serve a wider range of customers, such as rolling mills producing can sheet and other wrought products. These mills do not buy twitch, since they require a more precisely sorted feedstock that only contains wrought alloy scrap. “It was a choice to grow our business and leverage the very high-quality Twitch feedstock we produce,” said Shah.
In 2024, TOMRA and Wendt Corporation worked with Levitated to understand the company’s vision and determine the best solution for the recycler. “Through our discussions, it became clear Levitated was searching for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology in a sorter,” explained Giuseppe Granara, head of sales, metals recycling Americas for TOMRA Recycling. “We had recently introduced our AUTOSORT™ PULSE, a technology leveraging Dynamic LIBS for high-precision sorting of aluminum scrap by alloy types.”
Working with TOMRA, Shah arranged for a test of Levitated’s twitch in Wendt’s metals test center in Buffalo, New York, which includes the latest and most advanced metal sorting technology and equipment available. Being able to assess Levitated’s feed material using the sorting equipment in the test facility enabled Shah to better understand the capabilities of the technology. Levitated subsequently invested in the AUTOSORT PULSE and the XTRACT x-ray sorting technology as a final quality control check.
The AUTOSORT PULSE combines leading-edge technologies in one machine — including AI-based object singulation that enables accurate separation of overlapping and adjacent objects — to deliver high-throughput production of recycled aluminum. Granara explained, “Its 3D object scanning detects each object, regardless of its size and surface, while multiple single-point scans enable sharper detection of materials in any condition,” which enables the sorting of mixed scrap into specific alloy classes, such as 5xxx and 6xxx.
Levitated Metals expanded its zorba processing plant in Texas toward the end of 2025, making space for the new equipment. The company has since started up operation of its new sorting machines and has now completed several months of operation separating aluminum by alloy type for the company’s cast and wrought customers.
Shah described the AUTOSORT™ PULSE as “a magic box.” He added, “From processing speed, recovery and the quality of finished product, it grossly exceeded our expectations. Processing speed varies based on types of feed and extraction recipes, but we have run it north of 10 tons per hour successfully with effective product.”
Staying Flexible
Levitated Metals’ primary business case for investing in the new sorting technology was to support domestic manufacturing of aluminum can sheet with domestic recycled feedstock. “We planned to do something many wrought rolling mills were asking for — extract wrought [alloys] from zorba, since there is an enormous supply of zorba,” said Shah. The company was targeting the recovery of aluminum alloys, like 3104 and 3105, for beverage can production.
Unfortunately, policy shifts made extracting such alloys from zorba economically unfeasible. This unexpected turn added a layer of complexity for Levitated’s plans. “It was more than just running the initial program with the AUTOSORT™ PULSE,” said Shah. “It took market development, plus machine program and recipe development. It was a time of excitement, challenge and innovation.”
TOMRA Recycling supported Levitated’s efforts with new recipe development. The supplier recently expanded its Dynamic LIBS technology to include a broader range of material streams, enabling it to identify and separate valuable fractions from mixed streams by alloys or grades. As a result, the AUTOSORT PULSE has been programmed to extract high-value 5052 and 6063 alloys.
While these alloys are small components of the twitch feed, they are highly prized by wrought rolling mills. Levitated runs the machine 24 hours a day to extract these materials. “Eight months ago, when I first started with AUTOSORT PULSE, I wasn’t exactly sure where we were going to go,” said Shah. “However, with flexibility, innovation, and willingness to adapt, we developed markets that were needed to make it a success. We and the industry are only getting to the beginning of what can be done through this type of elemental inspection.”