Patent ID: 6843976

Claim:
A process for producing zinc oxide from a zinc-bearing material, comprising the steps of: leaching the zinc-bearing material with hydrochloric acid, ferric chloride and oxygen, the leaching producing a leach solution and a leach residue, the leach residue containing lead chloride; removing the leach residue; precipitating iron from the leach solution using lime, the precipitating of iron producing an iron precipitation solution; recovering copper, silver, cadmium, cobalt and lead from the leach solution by cementation with zinc dust; precipitating zinc oxide from the leach solution using lime, the precipitating of zinc oxide producing a residual calcium chloride solution; recovering lead contained in the leach residue by solubilizing the lead chloride and precipitating lead hydroxychloride from the solubilized lead chloride using lime; and regenerating hydrochloric acid and precipitating gypsum from the residual calcium chloride solution.