Abstract: 1,2-Dichlorethane is dehydrochlorinated by direct contact with a molten salt including the higher and lower valent forms of a multivalent metal chloride and generally also the oxychloride of the metal with ethane being present to increase selectivity to vinyl chloride.

Abstract: In the oxidation of a molten salt, such as copper chlorides with the simultaneous recovery of chlorine values, as chlorine and/or hydrogen chloride, oxygen is introduced into a lower bed and chlorine values are introduced into an upper bed for contact with downwardly flowing melt. By reversing the point of introduction of chlorine values and oxygen, the overall bed contact area required is increased.

Abstract: All or a portion of chlorinated hydrocarbons convertible to trichloroethylene and/or perchloroethylene by chlorination, dehydrochlorination or dehydrogenation and optionally also dechloroination are recovered from a C.sub.2 chlorinated hydrocarbon waste stream and contacted with a molten mixture of, for example, cuprous chloride, cupric chloride and copper oxychloride and hydrogen chloride and/or chlorine, to produce an effluent which contains as reaction product trichloroethylene and/or perchloroethylene. Chlorinated components in the waste stream not contacted with the molten mixture can be burned and the chlorine values used to enrich the chlorine content of the melt.