Chemical and Specialty Chemical

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Clean Harbors Tank Cleaning experts perform a broad spectrum of cleaning tasks for industrial facilities, municipalities and utility companies.

Maintaining your equipment at its highest operational capacity is critical, and that includes keeping tanks clean and compliant with EH&S regulations. Clean Harbors handles a broad spectrum of cleaning from 10-gallon acid neutralization tanks for medical companies to six-million-gallon 240-foot-diameter refinery tanks.

Tank Cleaning Services We Provide

• Wastewater treatment neutralization for compliance with wastewater discharge regulations
• Tank maintenance and inspection 
• Fuel oil tank cleaning 
• Utility manhole and vault cleaning 
• Tank and vessel cleaning during decommissioning and industrial renovations 
• Large-scale tank cleaning 
• IOS and rail-car container cleaning

Download Fact Sheet (Tank Cleaning)

The Clean Harbors Difference

Clean Harbors not only performs tank cleaning—we also remove the waste generated from the cleaning process and dispose of it safely using our own vehicles and treatment facilities. This additional benefit sets us apart and saves our clients time, money and hassle.

With more than 100 response locations in North America, Clean Harbors has the manpower, equipment and technical expertise to manage any size environmental emergency on land or water.

When evaluating emergency response companies, know that Clean Harbors can rapidly deploy experienced, fully certified workers to meet the needs of any incident in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico.

• Emergency spill clean up
• Over-the-road incidents 
• Punctured lines 
• Tank overflows 
• Leaking drums 
• Saddle tank spills 
• Large pipeline ruptures 
• Mercury spills
• Biological and infectious materials 
• Ship groundings 
• Tanker truck rollovers 
• Chemical and hazardous material spills 
• Oil spills
• Hurricane, earthquake and storm damage 
• Emergency lab packs
• Homeland security and terrorist attack responses
• Releases in warehouses and distribution centers
• Excavation of buried drums and cylinders

Download Clean Harbors Emergency Response Resource Book for US
Download Clean Harbors Emergency Response Resource Book for Canada (English)
Download Clean Harbors Emergency Response Resource Book for Canada (French)
Download Emergency Response Brochure
Download Fact Sheet (Emergency Response Services)
Download Fact Sheet (Emergency Operations Center)
Download Fact Sheet (Bird Flu Rapid Response Services)

Rapid Response and Containment

Varying by the response, spills typically can be contained within the first few hours, with minimal remediation in the next 48 hours. Clean Harbors works under all local, state and federal guidelines (EPA, OSHA, USCG, etc.) when performing containment and cleanup. Waste for off-site disposal is packaged and prepared for shipment to a waste treatment and disposal facility. 

Emergency Preparedness

Clean Harbors Emergency Response experts can provide guidance on emergency management, operations, planning, logistics and more. Our Standby Emergency Response Coverage ensures that you have the necessary coverage and response in the event of an environmental emergency.

Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO)

Under the U.S. Coast Guard’s OSRO Classification Program, Clean Harbors holds Captain of the Port ratings for facilities and vessels in 56 ports throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. 

Emergency Operations Center

Clean Harbors operates an Emergency Operations Center where duty operators certified in DOT and RCRA can help you 24/7. One number, one call: 800.645.8265

Clean Harbors provides and manages a wide variety of containers for businesses throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Clean Harbors has more than 12,000 containers of various types and sizes such as open and closed top rolloffs, vacuum containers, dewatering containers, frac tanks and specialty containers to service all industries. 

Ranging from the delivery of a single container to a customer’s site to the on-site management of all of a customer’s containers, Clean Harbors provides comprehensive container management. We also provide transportation and logistics services for moving containers on-site and off-site as well as container tracking.

Download Fact Sheet (Container Management Program)
Download Fact Sheet (Vacuum Dewatering Rolloff Containers)
Download Fact Sheet (Container Management Services for Western Canada Refineries and Petrochemical Facilities)

Typical Containers Available

• Open top rolloffs 
• Hard top rolloffs 
• Open top intermodals 
• Hard top intermodals 
• Vacuum containers 
• Dewatering containers 
• Vacuum dewatering containers 
• Frac tanks 
• Luggers

With highly skilled staff, a vast equipment inventory and more than 35 years of experience, Clean Harbors provides a wide range of Industrial and Specialty Services throughout North America.

We safely and efficiently manage hazardous, non-hazardous, wet and dry materials utilizing specialized equipment and techniques.

Clean Harbors Completes Acquisition of HydroChemPSC

In 2021, we acquired HydroChemPSC, a leading U.S. provider of industrial cleaning, specialty maintenance and utilities services. Its services are built around providing solutions to customers focused on cleaning, maintenance and environmental compliance of essential, mission critical equipment and infrastructure. In 2022, HydroChemPSC was rebranded to HPC Industrial. Read on to learn more about our enhanced capabilities.

Our services include:

• Industrial field services
• Pigging and decoking
• Chemical cleaning
• Hands Free™ technologies
• High-pressure services such as cold cutting, dry ice blasting, ultrasonic cleaning and exchanger, line, vessel and tank cleaning
• Dewatering and materials processing
• Outage and turnaround services
• Pipeline coatings services
• Hydro Excavation
• Liquid/Dry vacuuming
• Chemical hauling
• Ultrasonic cleaning
• DryAsh™
• Re-Source Solutions

Clean Harbors provides Dewatering and Materials Processing services to improve the efficiency of wastewater treatment systems and crude tanks—​while producing a cost benefit to our end customer.

Surface impoundments and storage tanks containing built-up sludge can limit the effectiveness of your wastewater treatment system. Clean Harbors can safely remove and process the sludge and reduce the volume of waste with specialized dewatering and dredging equipment. This process results in improved efficiency of your wastewater treatment system and significant cost savings. 

Download Fact Sheet (Onsite Material Processing Services)

The Clean Harbors Difference

• Cutting-edge dredging and dewatering equipment for precise waste removal and high volume, continuous processing
• Resource recovery through our mobile thermal treatment units
• EH&S support, including the design of vapor control plans to meet air emissions guidelines

Dredging and dewatering may be typical industrial tasks, but Clean Harbors expertise, equipment and turnkey abilities are anything but common.

Clean Harbors proprietary CleanPack Laboratory Chemical Packing services provide proper recognition, handling, packaging, transportation and disposal of laboratory chemicals. We also perform laboratory relocations, closures and cleanouts.

Clean Harbors can manage virtually any chemical found in a laboratory environment including:

• RCRA and non-RCRA chemicals
• TSCA, DEA, radioactive, mixed waste and universal waste 
• Biological and etiological chemicals
• Compressed gas and cylinders 
• Toxic, flammable, oxidizer, organic peroxide and corrosive materials 
• Pyrophoric, gases, aerosol, unknown, reactive, explosive and shock-sensitive materials 
• Ethers, THF, dioxane and sodium azide

Compliance

Throughout the chemical packing and disposal process, our skilled chemists help ensure your compliance with the latest EPA, DOT, TDG and Environment Canada regulations and record-keeping. 

Download Fact Sheet (CleanPack® Lab Chemical Packing​)

Clean Harbors provides a wide array of Reactive Material Services to ensure secure chemical management and safe disposal of unstable and explosive materials.

Clean Harbors has extensive experience working with unstable and shock-sensitive materials, as well as managing disposal of explosives and materials restricted from transportation. With a vast transportation fleet and permitted transfer storage and disposal facilities throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, we provide turnkey reactive material services. 

Reactive Material Services require specialized expertise and diverse techniques to ensure safety and compliance. Clean Harbors deploys multiple approaches to fulfill these goals.

Download Fact Sheet (Reactive Material Services​)

Container Evaluation 

Clean Harbors has standard operating procedures for the proper identification and evaluation of shock-sensitive, peroxidizable and unknown reactive materials. We follow strict evaluation criteria including age, storage conditions, exposure, contamination and stability.

Chemical Stabilization 

Clean Harbors understands the disadvantages of controlled detonation and has developed sound chemical stabilization techniques that enable us to manage the following types of potentially unstable materials (along with others on a case-by-case basis):

• Peroxide-forming compounds 
• Temperature-sensitive compounds 
• Organic peroxides 
• Shock-sensitive compounds 
• Multi-nitrated compounds 
• Azides

Remote Container Opening Procedures 

Our Reactive Material specialists take every precaution and limit the handling of hazardous and potentially unstable materials. We use specially designed equipment for all reactive remediation and stabilization projects, including pneumatically driven machinery that can remotely open a container.

Engineering Controls and Personal Protective Equipment 

Our state-of-the-art engineering controls include devices such as:

• Trailer-mounted blast deflection units
• Portable remote openers with bomb blanket and safety circle
• Custom-designed remote drum openers
• ATF Type III Blasters day boxes

Our personal protective equipment protects our employees from high heat, flames and explosions and includes:

• Fire proximity suits
• Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) protective search suits
• Riot helmet, Kevlar® vest, and Nomex® coveralls (standard issue)

Unknown Compound Fingerprint Analysis

Our CleanPack® chemists provide fingerprint analysis for unknown compounds within lab pack-sized containers provided that the materials pass our safety evaluation. If these materials fail the evaluation and are suspected to be shock-sensitive, unstable or reactive, they must be remotely opened and tested before packaging.

Clean Harbors provides safe, cost-effective Cylinder and Compressed Gas Management and disposal. 

Clean Harbors highly trained specialists―who meet rigid personnel qualifications―handle all types of cylinder projects from the removal of a single lecture bottle to large-scale, multi-phase cylinder remediation efforts. We manage a wide range of liquefied, non-liquefied and dissolved gases, including hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous hydrogen cyanide (HCN), tetrafluorohydrazine (TFH), pentaborane and incompatible mixtures. And we have the unique ability to design and manufacture custom compressed gas cylinder equipment to meet your needs.

Download Cylinder and Compressed Gas Management Services Brochure 

Specialized Equipment and Expertise 

Using state-of-the-art personal protective, project and safety equipment, our experts evaluate your situation and safely package and remove cylinders from your site. When materials are potentially unsafe to ship, Clean Harbors will mobilize a team of cylinder specialists to your location where they can:

• Contain leaking or damaged cylinders
• Test and identify unknown materials 
• Manage both portable and fixed tanks
• Handle inherently unstable and high-hazard cylinders

Safety Training 

All of our specialists undergo Compressed Gas Emergency Response Training (CGERT) certification, a rigorous technical course that provides advanced training on industrial and specialty gas emergency response. 

Clean Harbors Explosives Management services provide risk-free disposal of explosives and management of reactive waste at our EPA-approved thermal treatment facilities. Our Colfax, Louisiana, thermal treatment facility is the only commercial RCRA Part B, Subpart X permitted explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) facility in the United States. 

Clean Harbors provides strict quality control for EOD. Our methods not only meet but exceed government requirements, eliminating the risk of costly waste rejections. We also ensure timely approvals, quotes and schedules.

Materials Handled and Industries Served

Federal/State/Local Governments

• Confiscated articles including fireworks, ammunition and manufactured explosives 
• Propellants and rocket motors 
• Riot control articles and flares

Engineering and Consulting

• Explosives/propellants from demilitarization operations 
• Rocket motors and missile propellants 
• Explosive contaminated debris 
• Items stemming from oil field services 
• Shape charges, jet perforation guns, detonators and cartridges

Manufacturing

• Airbag inflators 
• Initiators 
• Aircraft ejection systems 
• Explosives/propellants

Chemical and Specialty Chemical

• Explosives
• Explosive contaminated debris 
• Detonation cords 
• Propellants

Clean Harbors Remediation Services handle large-scale, complex site cleanup projects and environmental construction needs for the public and private sectors. We can remediate any location to meet corporate or regulatory cleanup requirements.

Clean Harbors provides comprehensive on-site Remediation Services for a plant or facility expansion, an idled facility or a decommissioned process. If you are closing a process, a building or an expansive facility in order to sell the property, remediating a brownfield or repurposing property, Clean Harbors has the solution.

• Coke oven dismantlement and closure 
• Landfill construction, capping and collection systems
• In situ, ex situ treatment 
• Soil solidification, stabilization 
• Excavation and disposal 
• Decontamination, decommissioning, demolition 
• Integrated remediation systems construction and management 
• Hazardous and special waste management
• Manufactured gas plant remediation 
• Mining site remediation 
• Groundwater remediation
• Sediments remediation
• Remedial systems configurations for site-specific cleanup criteria
• Refinery projects

Whatever your remediation needs, Clean Harbors has the manpower, enviromental equipment and expertise to not only get the job done but also exceed expectations. 

Clean Harbors InSite Services is a branded on-site/in-plant service delivery program through which we provide a full range of environmental, industrial and waste management offerings. This signature program is built on safety, quality, efficiency and integrity—and has been offered by Clean Harbors for over 20 years.

By leveraging Clean Harbors expertise and capabilities, our on-site staffs are dedicated to developing the safest, most cost-effective solutions to service customers’ needs. This includes collecting and packaging waste materials, managing satellite accumulation areas, cleaning in-plant locations and running RCRA treatment processes.

One Source. More Resources.

A Clean Harbors InSite partnership delivers process improvement and cost savings opportunities, thus allowing you to maximize your profitability by focusing on your core business needs. 

InSite Services We Provide

• Chemical waste pickup
• Solvent can management
• Laboratory inspections
• SAA inspections
• Administrative support
• Safety equipment inspections
• Biohazard container management
• Radiological services
• Laboratory cleaning
• Laboratory moves
• Bulk storage tank management
• Consolidation and lab packing