EAST CHICAGO RECOVERY INC

EAST CHICAGO RECOVERY INC is a non-ferrous metals plant in United States with a reported capacity of 1 unitless. It smelts or refines non-ferrous metals. By capacity it ranks #295 of 330 non-ferrous metals plants tracked in United States. It emits about 6,267 tonnes of CO₂e per year (Climate TRACE) — roughly the tailpipe emissions of 1,461 cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is about 86% below the median non-ferrous metals plant.

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673269.

En contexte: comment cette installation se compare

À 1 unitless, EAST CHICAGO RECOVERY INC est autour de la médiane des non-ferrous metals plant en United States (1 unitless). Son CO₂ par unité de capacité est approximativement 83% en dessous de la médiane des non-ferrous metals plant. Sous-secteur: other-metals. Comme non-ferrous metals plant, elle nécessite une chaleur de procédé intensive (typiquement 400–1200°C) pour ses opérations industrielles essentielles — chaleur qui doit être fournie par des chaudières, fours ou combustion directe, et les pertes par les récipients et tuyauteries non isolés représentent du combustible gaspillé. L'isolation modulaire amovible peut réduire ces pertes de 80–96%, refroidissant les surfaces à ≤45°C, avec des délais d'amortissement souvent inférieurs à 2 ans. Les usines de métaux non ferreux fondent, raffinent et coulent des métaux dans des fours et creusets au-dessus de leurs points de fusion; les pertes des transferts non isolés et des récipients de stockage sont significatives.

Comparaison de capacité et d'intensité de CO₂ calculée à partir des données des installations industrielles Climate TRACE; rôle du secteur basé sur la référence d'ingénierie.

What 6,267 t CO₂e a year looks like

This facility's reported annual CO₂e in the everyday equivalents from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator:

Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest non-ferrous metals plants in United States

Reported capacity (unitless), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).

Local climate

EAST CHICAGO RECOVERY INC sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate zone (Köppen Dfa), at 41.7°N in the northern hemisphere.

Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

How it compares & nearby sites

The #295 largest of 330 non-ferrous metals plants in United States by reported capacity.

Nearby industrial sites

• Harsco Metals · Metals Plant · 482 t CO₂
• US GYPSUM - EAST CHICAGO PLANT · Metals Plant · 39,395 t CO₂
• Cleveland-Cliffs Indiana Harbor steel plant · Steel Plant · 9,040,985 t CO₂
• LINDE - WHITING, IN 5&6 · Chemical Plant · 1,580,865 t CO₂
• LINDE - WHITING, IN 1-4 · Chemical Plant · 157,554 t CO₂
• US STEEL - EAST CHICAGO TIN · Metals Plant · 466 t CO₂

Location

Coordinates 41.65632, -87.45014. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

A non-ferrous metals plant like this runs hot equipment that sheds heat continuously: furnaces, ladles, heat-treatment ovens, ducting & valves (surface/process temperatures around 150–1,000 °C). These surfaces lose energy to the air year-round; removable modular insulation cuts that loss, brings outer surfaces to ≤45 °C, and unclips for inspection.

Indicative recoverable energy

On an already-insulated site (pipes & valves in cladding / jackets), closing the remaining gaps, flanges and damaged sections and switching to removable covers indicatively recovers about 1,300 MWh/yr (≈ 260 t CO₂/yr) — scaled to this site's reported CO₂ within its sector. Bare or damaged surfaces recover several times more.

See Inzonex insulation → Estimate your site →

Indicative, not a measurement. Conservative floor for an already-insulated plant; a TIPCHECK on-site audit gives a measured figure. Industry context: EiiF TIPCHECK — industrial insulation can save ~14 Mtoe/yr in EU, payback typically <2 years.

Safety & the no-regret first step

Bare hot surfaces here exceed the touch-safe limit (EN ISO 13732-1); insulation to ≤45 °C is a worker-safety and compliance win. And before electrification, fuel-switching or CCS, eliminating surface heat loss is the cheapest, fastest, lowest-risk step — audit the bare spots first, rip-and-replace later.

United States: funding & obligation

Funding. Investment tax credit up to 30% of qualified investment incl. industrial decarbonization; open to small/medium/large manufacturers.

Obligation. None at federal level (voluntary). Some states have their own programs. (applies as a rule above the stated threshold — we don't hold this site's metered energy use).

Verified 2026; confirm current scheme terms before applying.

Frequently asked questions