Patent ID: 6921474

Claim:
A process for the production of ZnCl 2 from a Zn bearing primary and/or secondary material, comprising the steps of: reacting the Zn bearing material with a chlorinating agent to convert metals present in the Zn bearing material into chlorides to form a reaction product and vaporising components of the reaction product more volatile that ZnCl 2 at a temperature between the melting point of said reaction product and the boiling point of ZnCl 2, thereby recovering a Zn rich chlorinated melt, converting metal impurities which are present in said Zn rich chlorinated melt into insoluble oxides by adding a metal oxide to the melt, and subsequently distilling ZnCl 2 from the Zn rich chlorinated melt, thereby recovering purified ZnCl 2 and a Zn-depleted chlorinated melt.