Treatment of waste containing metal chlorides

摘要

A process for the treatment of waste containing metal chlorides comprises heating the waste in the presence of oxygen and water at a temperature of at least 350 DEG C. The hydrogen chloride generated is passed through a gas scrubber in which any entrained solids are removed by contact of the gas with liquid aqueous hydrochloric acid. The process is particularly suitable for wastes generated during the chlorination of titaniferous ores. The process enables the chlorides to be converted to oxides which can be disposed of with minimal environmental impact or used as a source of trace elements and also provides a convenient means of generating relatively pure hydrogen chloride or hydrochloric acid.