Base Metal Resource Processing by Chlorination

This paper is concerned with a review of published reports on the processing of oxide and sulphide resources of base metals by chlorination. The chlorination processes has been described principally under the categories of dry chlorination and aqueous chlorination. In dry chlorination, various processes involving use of different chlorinating agents such as elemental chlorine, gaseous hydrogen chloride, and chlorides of alkali or alkali earth metals are described. In the case of aqueous chlorination, the applications of chlorine, chlorine-oxygen, ferric chloride, ferrous chloride-oxygen, and copper chlorides as chlorinating agents are dealt with. Well accepted basic chemical reactions have been incorporated in the description of the various chlorinating processes.