Site Visit Report
Site Visited:
| Glass Alchemy, Ltd |
Site Address:
| 6539 NE 59th Pl, Portland, OR 97218 |
Date of site visit:
| 3/14/2016 |
Site visit conducted by:
| EPA – Katie McClintock, Zach Hedgpeth ODEQ – Chris Swab, Chris Moore |
Person(s) contacted and contact information:
| Al Hooton, VP Industrial Operations 503.460.0545 – main office questions@glassalchemy.com |
Glass Alchemy, Ltd. produces colored glass by either crushing glass tubes on location to make cullet or purchasing cullet directly and mixing with powdered raw materials.
The cullet used at Glass Alchemy is clear borosilicate glass, with some colored glass used. The powdered raw materials are added to the cullet to create colored glass.
The cullet mixture is then placed in a crucible, which is an open-topped container, and the crucible is placed in an electric kiln to melt the cullet and raw materials to form molten glass. Depending on the size of the crucible and the desired glass product, the glass is batched, which consists of the cullet mixture being added to the crucible at various time intervals to allow the glass to maintain a specified temperature (stoking).
Prior to removing the molten glass from the crucible, skims will be removed from the crucible as needed. Upon completion of a batch, the molten glass is removed from the crucible to form the final product, which is colored glass rods.
The facility uses up to 24 kilns at a time. The kilns are grouped together under exhaust hoods, and the hoods are equipped with fans to draw air into the hoods, and heavy fabric curtains to ensure that all emissions from the kilns are captured and drawn into the exhaust hoods.
The exhaust hoods vent outside on the roof of the building.
This facility groups has between 2 and approximately 10 kilns under each exhaust hood.
Annual glass production for 2015 was estimated to be about 90,000 pounds (45 tons).
The facility uses the following metals (others may be used as well): uses chrome
The facility does not use the following metals: arsenic