Sensor-based sorting specialist TOMRA Recycling has expanded the capabilities of its AUTOSORT PULSE system, enabling its Dynamic LIBS technology to separate a wider range of recyclable materials, including stainless steel, heavy metals, magnesium and incinerator bottom ash (IBA), in addition to aluminium alloys.

Introduced in 2023, AUTOSORT PULSE uses Dynamic LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) to identify materials by their elemental composition, enabling recyclers to separate mixed aluminium scrap into different alloy series, including the 5xxx and 6xxx families.¹

Now, the technology has been expanded to address additional recycling streams,

For recyclers, the expanded application range of AUTOSORT PULSE presents new opportunities, says the group. Instead of being limited to a single application, operators now use one machine for multiple sorting tasks without the need to invest in additional hardware.

The key enabler is said to be TOMRA’s Dynamic LIBS technology. Its dynamic laser setup allows AUTOSORT PULSE to analyse the elemental composition of each object and adapt to different scrap conditions. By repeatedly targeting the same point on the material, the laser effectively drills through coatings, paint, oxidation or dust to identify the composition underneath, giving it an advantage over conventional LIBS or XRF solutions. This is particularly relevant for heavy metals and IBA-derived streams, where surface conditions often make separation more challenging.

Heavy metals: more value through precise sorting
In mixed heavy metal streams, the system can now identify and separate copper, brass, zinc, stainless steel and other valuable fractions, says TOMRA. It can also distinguish between specific material characteristics, such as zinc sheets from Zamak or coated and non-coated material.

One operation already putting these capabilities into practice is Kaplan Pirinç Çubuk A.Ş. in Türkiye. The brass smelter invested in the AUTOSORT PULSE specifically to sort brass into different grades for its European and non-European customers.

“Most of our brass input is coated and we need to identify specific elemental compositions,” said Safa Tayyip Topçuoğlu, Owner of Kaplan Pirinç Çubuk A.Ş. “After seeing the great test results we achieved with TOMRA, we knew the AUTOSORT PULSE was exactly what we needed. With its Dynamic LIBS technology, we can look deeper into the material and precisely target the elements that we want. This helps us get more value out of our scrap and reduce the amount of expensive alloying material we would otherwise need to add. The result is high-value brass at a lower cost, which gives us a real competitive advantage.”

Stainless steel, incinerator bottom ash and magnesium
For stainless steel applications, AUTOSORT PULSE can separate different grades, including 316, 304 and 201 from mixed stainless steel streams, enabling recyclers to create more specific and higher-value output fractions from material they already process.

The system can also be applied to incinerator bottom ash (IBA), the mineral residue left after municipal waste incineration. After initial processing, IBA can yield complex metal streams such as mixed aluminium and mixed heavy metals. AUTOSORT PULSE enables further separation of these fractions, including low- and high-silicon 6xxx series aluminium alloys, as well as copper and brass from mixed heavy metal streams. This turns material that was once considered difficult to upgrade into valuable metal fractions and supports a higher-quality output from challenging input.

Another new application is magnesium separation from floated super-light fractions. By reliably distinguishing magnesium from other light metals, AUTOSORT PULSE helps recyclers achieve cleaner output fractions and improve material quality.

Flexible operation opens up options
Material availability can change quickly, and metal markets are often difficult to predict. Prices and margins can shift significantly, and recyclers need the flexibility to focus on the material streams with the highest demand and value. With AUTOSORT PULSE, operators can switch between streams and adapt sorting whenever they need to make the most of every operational hour and capture value where it matters most, says the firm.

To support this, TOMRA says it trains customers’ teams to adapt and fine-tune sorting programmes themselves. Operators can react quickly when material streams change, test new input materials before committing to larger purchases and keep production stable even when market conditions shift.

“AUTOSORT PULSE has proven itself in aluminium alloy separation, and we have continued to develop what the technology can enable,” said Tom Jansen, VP, Head of Segments at TOMRA Recycling. “Today, our customers can use one system across several material streams, from stainless steel to IBA, heavy metals and more. What changes is the application, not the technology. That flexibility turns a single investment into real operational and economic value.”

Notes
[1] The Aluminium Association classifies wrought aluminium alloys into numbered series (1xxx–8xxx) according to their principal alloying elements. The 5xxx series comprises aluminium-magnesium alloys, while the 6xxx series comprises aluminium-magnesium-silicon alloys. Each series contains numerous individual alloy grades.