Safety-Kleen East Chicago re-refinery
Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc. (Clean Harbors subsidiary) · Clean Harbors, Inc. · East Chicago, IN
- b/d base oil capacity
- 5,414
- API groups made
- 0
- rank of 22 plants on record
- #16
- events on record
- 5
Base oil capability
Operating per Clean Harbors FY2025 10-K (lists East Chicago among seven operating re-refineries; Newark CA and Rollinsford NH were idled in early 2025). Part 70 (Title V) source at 601 Riley Road, East Chicago IN 46312; permit renewal T089-40580-00301 issued 2019-12-12.
| API group | b/d | As published | Basis | In effect | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group not published ★ | 5,414 | 83,000,000 gal/yr Base oil OUTPUT ('Base Oil Produced - 83M GPY'); 83,000,000 gal/yr / 42 gal per bbl / 365 d = 5,414 b/d. Operator page gives no API group for the site; KLEEN+ RHT grades are marketed as Group II+ (RHT240 data sheet) and company-wide output includes Group III. Preferred because it is the operator's current figure. |
company stated | — | Safety-Kleen Systems (Clean Harbors) medium |
| Group not published | 7,502 | 115,000,000 gal/yr Used motor oil FEED ('Rated Capacity 115M GPY UMO Feed'), not base oil output; 115,000,000 / 42 / 365 = 7,502 b/d. Same page also lists a 30M GPY lubricants blending facility at the site. |
company stated | — | Safety-Kleen Systems (Clean Harbors) medium |
| Re-refined Group II | 4,200 | 4,200 b/d Base oil output as reported in a July 2012 Lube Report article ('800 b/d of API Group I and 4,200 b/d of Group II'); dated and superseded by the operator's current gallons figure, kept as the only public group split found. Not preferred because it predates the 83M GPY figure. |
company stated | — | Lubes'n'Greases (Lube Report) medium |
- Process route
- Re-refining (hydrotreating)
- Feedstock
- Used lubricating oil
- Brands
- KLEEN+
- Ships by
- truck, rail, barge
- Owners
- Clean Harbors, Inc. 100%
Grades offered
| Group | Grade | cSt @100 °C | Brand | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group II+ | KLEEN+ RHT240 | 7.0 | KLEEN+ | Safety-Kleen Systems high |
| Group II | KLEEN+ RHT70 | — | KLEEN+ | Safety-Kleen Systems (Clean Harbors) medium |
| Group II | KLEEN+ RHT120 | — | KLEEN+ | Safety-Kleen Systems (Clean Harbors) medium |
Base oil events and projects
-
2025-12-31
Expansion
Group not published east-chicago-sda-600n
FY2025 10-K: 'In 2025, we began construction of a state-of-the-art Solvent De-Asphalting, or SDA, unit' adjacent to the East Chicago, Indiana re-refinery, to 'reprocess certain by-products produced today into 600N base oil'; 'expected that this facility will be operational in 2028'. $30.4 million spent in 2025, $85 million expected in 2026, expected full project cost $210-220 million. Date placed at fiscal year-end. announced 2025-10-29 · public target 2028 SEC EDGAR high
-
2025-10-29
Expansion
Group not published east-chicago-sda-600n
Clean Harbors said it plans to build a plant using solvent de-asphalting (SDA) technology to convert the re-refining byproduct vacuum tower asphalt extender (VTAE) into 600N base oil; investment $210 million to $220 million, 'commercial launch anticipated in 2028', expected annual EBITDA $30-40 million. Location not named in the release. announced 2025-10-29 · public target 2028 SEC EDGAR / Clean Harbors high
-
2024-09-17
Expansion
Group not published east-chicago-asphalt-binder
IDEM draft Significant Permit Modification 089-47236-00301 and Significant Source Modification 089-47229-00301 would allow new process heaters (H-1001, H-1102, H-1101), storage tanks T-977 to T-996 and flare FL-802 'to allow the production of a new product, asphalt binder'; IDEM public meeting 2024-09-17, comment deadline extended to 2024-09-23 (ELPC fact sheet). Final IDEM decision not confirmed by this research. Relationship to the SDA unit not stated by any source. Environmental Law & Policy Center medium
-
2022-04-01
Other
Group not published
IDEM approved Title V Minor Source Modification 089-45246-00301 for one natural gas fired boiler (SB-822, 58.5 MMBtu/hr, low-NOx burners) at the 'stationary oil re-refinery located at 601 Riley Road'; application received 2022-03-21. actual 2022-04-01 Indiana Department of Environmental Management high
-
2020-12-31
Outage
Group not published
Company-wide, not plant-specific: in response to COVID-19 declines in used oil availability and base/blended oil demand, Clean Harbors 'temporarily shuttered nearly half of the total production capacity of these re-refineries'; 'By the end of 2020, our re-refinery production capacity had returned to mid-2019 levels.' Date placed at fiscal year-end of the filing. SEC EDGAR high
Not established from public sources: No public source splits current East Chicago base oil output by API group; the operator page gives 83M GPY base oil and 115M GPY used-oil feed without a group, and the only group split found (800 b/d Group I, 4,200 b/d Group II) is from a 2012 trade article. The operator page read was the French-language node of safety-kleen.com (English URL not located); it is undated. Hydrotreating route is supported by the 2012 Lube Report reference to 'hydrotreated rundown' from the re-refinery and the KLEEN+ RHT grade line, not by a process description on the operator page. Coordinates are a Nominatim geocode of the permit address 601 Riley Road, East Chicago IN 46312 (approximate; the second geocode candidate was 41.6506, -87.4757). Final IDEM decision on the 2024 asphalt-binder modification and whether it is the SDA unit's permit were not confirmed. Clean Harbors FY2025 10-K publication date not captured (cover references 2026-02-11 share count).
Reach
Base oil leaves this plant by truck, rail, barge. Base oils move by truck, rail, barge and vessel; pipelines rarely carry them, so the explorer draws no pipeline reach for a base oil plant.
Events
| Project | Group | Announced | First public target | Current target | Actual | b/d |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| east-chicago-asphalt-binder IDEM draft Significant Permit Modification 089-47236-00301 and Significant Source Modification 089-47229-00301 would allow new process heaters (H-1001, H-1102, H-1101), storage tanks T-977 to T-996 and flare FL-802 'to allow the production of a new product, asphalt binder'; IDEM public meeting 2024-09-17, comment deadline extended to 2024-09-23 (ELPC fact sheet). Final IDEM decision not confirmed by this research. Relationship to the SDA unit not stated by any source. |
Group not published | 2024-09-17 | — | — | — | — |
| east-chicago-sda-600n FY2025 10-K: 'In 2025, we began construction of a state-of-the-art Solvent De-Asphalting, or SDA, unit' adjacent to the East Chicago, Indiana re-refinery, to 'reprocess certain by-products produced today into 600N base oil'; 'expected that this facility will be operational in 2028'. $30.4 million spent in 2025, $85 million expected in 2026, expected full project cost $210-220 million. Date placed at fiscal year-end. |
Group not published | 2025-10-29 | 2028 | 2028 | — | — |
-
2025-12-31
Expansion
east-chicago-sda-600n
FY2025 10-K: 'In 2025, we began construction of a state-of-the-art Solvent De-Asphalting, or SDA, unit' adjacent to the East Chicago, Indiana re-refinery, to 'reprocess certain by-products produced today into 600N base oil'; 'expected that this facility will be operational in 2028'. $30.4 million spent in 2025, $85 million expected in 2026, expected full project cost $210-220 million. Date placed at fiscal year-end. SEC EDGAR
-
2025-10-29
Expansion
east-chicago-sda-600n
Clean Harbors said it plans to build a plant using solvent de-asphalting (SDA) technology to convert the re-refining byproduct vacuum tower asphalt extender (VTAE) into 600N base oil; investment $210 million to $220 million, 'commercial launch anticipated in 2028', expected annual EBITDA $30-40 million. Location not named in the release. SEC EDGAR / Clean Harbors
-
2024-09-17
Expansion
east-chicago-asphalt-binder
IDEM draft Significant Permit Modification 089-47236-00301 and Significant Source Modification 089-47229-00301 would allow new process heaters (H-1001, H-1102, H-1101), storage tanks T-977 to T-996 and flare FL-802 'to allow the production of a new product, asphalt binder'; IDEM public meeting 2024-09-17, comment deadline extended to 2024-09-23 (ELPC fact sheet). Final IDEM decision not confirmed by this research. Relationship to the SDA unit not stated by any source. Environmental Law & Policy Center
-
2022-04-01
Other
IDEM approved Title V Minor Source Modification 089-45246-00301 for one natural gas fired boiler (SB-822, 58.5 MMBtu/hr, low-NOx burners) at the 'stationary oil re-refinery located at 601 Riley Road'; application received 2022-03-21. Indiana Department of Environmental Management
-
2020-12-31
Outage
Company-wide, not plant-specific: in response to COVID-19 declines in used oil availability and base/blended oil demand, Clean Harbors 'temporarily shuttered nearly half of the total production capacity of these re-refineries'; 'By the end of 2020, our re-refinery production capacity had returned to mid-2019 levels.' Date placed at fiscal year-end of the filing. SEC EDGAR
Rates are pipeline line-haul transcribed from published FERC tariffs; every figure cites its tariff and item. Cost to serve (netback) adds origin spot price and destination fees. "Confirmed" links match a tariff delivery point to the facility; "same city" means the point is in the facility's city — plausible, not proof; "per research" means the facility's research profile names the pipeline as an outlet.