CONTACT
REPORT
From:
Dave
Reeves
and
Tom
Holloway,
RTI
International
Date
of
Contact:
November
7,
2003
Company/
Agency:
Sony
Magnetics
Products
Inc.
Of
America
4275
W.
Main
Street
Dothan,
AL
36305
Telephone
Number:
(
334)
793
­
7655,
ext.
1011
Person
Contacted:
Mark
Farmer,
Environmental
Manager
CONTACT
SUMMARY:
We
called
Mr.
Farmer
to
follow
up
on
some
of
the
cobalt
emissions
data
and
to
clarify
information
concerning
emission
points
at
the
Sony
facility.
Mr.
Farmer
stated
that
Sony
has
two
different
magnetic
tape
manufacturing
processes.
The
new
advanced
metal
evaporation
(
ME)
process
is
conducted
in
a
process
area
that
is
part
of
the
main
warehouse
building.
(
On
the
facility
diagram
previously
provided
by
Mr.
Farmer,
this
process
area
is
designated
as
"
ME
Plant".)
The
ME
process
area
is
approximately
75
feet
long,
40
feet
wide,
and
25
feet
high.
Mr.
Farmer
also
explained
that
only
cobalt
metal
is
used
and
emitted
by
the
ME
process.
Sony
has
three
ME
machines
and
is
currently
only
using
two
of
them.
The
machines
are
run
at
a
high
vacuum
and
the
emissions
result
from
cleaning
operations.
Most
of
the
cleaning
is
done
between
the
production
runs
(
e.
g.,
rolls
of
magnetic
tape).
The
condensation
booth
is
located
within
the
ME
process
area
and
is
used
for
cleaning
the
condensation
hood.
Only
the
condensation
booth
has
an
air
exhaust
that
is
directed
to
a
baghouse
(
dust
collector).
With
regards
to
metal
cobalt
(
Co)
emissions
(
from
the
ME
process),
we
asked
about
the
1,155
pounds
they
reported
for
metal
Co
in
their
2000
Toxics
Release
Inventory
(
TRI).
Mr.
Farmer
believed
that
those
metal
Co
emissions
should
be
reduced
by
60
to
70
percent
to
account
for
the
waste
streams
identified
in
recent
work
conducted
with
the
Alabama
Department
of
Environmental
Management
(
ADEM).
He
also
mentioned
that
they
had
done
testing
and
that
beyond
20
feet
of
the
process
machines
they
had
non­
detect
for
Co.
Mr.
Farmer
then
retrieved
some
emissions
data
from
the
past
few
years
and
stated
that
for
calendar
year
2002,
they
had
recently
revised
their
metal
Co
emissions
from
2.34
tons
to
1.29
tons.
Mr.
Farmer
volunteered
to
send
us
the
most
recent
detailed
AME
Cobalt
Emissions
Summary
Report
so
we
could
see
how
the
emissions
are
tracked
month
by
month.

We
then
asked
about
the
more
conventional
magnetic
tape
manufacturing
process
at
Sony,
in
which
coating
(
mix)
is
applied
to
a
thin
film
substrate
and
the
solvent
is
evaporated
at
the
coater
and
oven.
Mr.
Farmer
explained
that
the
reported
cobalt
compounds
emissions
come
from
the
coating
mix,
which
is
cobalt­
doped
iron
oxide.
According
to
Mr.
Farmer,
Co
is
only
2
to
3
weight
percent
of
the
mix,
so
the
amount
of
cobalt
in
the
reported
250
pounds
of
Co
compounds
is
actually
only
5
to
7
pounds.
Mr.
Farmer
further
explained
that
there
are
four
coating
lines
for
the
conventional
process,
two
lines
in
P­
1
Plant
and
two
lines
in
P­
2
Plant
(
as
designated
on
the
­
2­

facility
diagram).
Mr.
Farmer
had
previously
estimated
that
80
percent
of
the
(
fugitive)
Co
compound
emissions
come
from
the
mix
areas
which
are
located
at
the
southern
end
of
both
the
P­
1
and
P­
2
Plants.
The
other
20
percent
had
been
identified
as
"
miscellaneous
fugitives."
According
to
Mr.
Farmer,
the
dimensions
of
the
exhaust
ducts
from
both
P­
1
and
P­
2
Plants
are
4
foot
x
4
foot,
and
the
release
point
for
both
ducts
is
50
feet
high.
The
average
flowrates
for
the
P­
1
and
P­
2
Plant
ducts
are
130,000
cfm
and
150,000
cfm,
respectively.
Mr.
Farmer
stated
that
the
reported
250
pounds
of
Co
compounds
emissions
are
an
engineering
estimate
and
that
the
emissions
should
be
split
evenly
between
the
P­
1
and
P­
2
Plants.

Mr.
Farmer
also
commented
that
Sony's
AME
production
slowed
down
at
the
beginning
of
the
calendar
year,
but
in
recent
months
has
increased
slightly,
so
the
resulting
air
emissions
reflect
these
changes
in
the
monthly
emissions
report
he
will
be
providing.
