Abstract: A process for continuous production of metal chlorides includes the steps of providing metallic ore, containing iron purities, and a carbon source; drying the metallic ore; drying the carbon source; mixing the dried metallic ore, the dried- carbon source, and a sulfur-containing compound; calcining the mixture in a first fluidized bed reactor in the presence of air; chlorinating the calcined product in a second fluidized bed reactor in the presence of additional carbon source and additional sulfur-containing compound to produce crude metal chlorides and waste gases; and reactively subliming and desubliming the crude metal chlorides, in the presence of additional iron, aluminum, cesium, copper, lead, lithium, magnesium, mercury, potassium, sodium, titanium, uranium, zinc or zirconium, to produce purified aluminum chloride.

Abstract: A method of producing a non-metal element or a metal or an alloy thereof from a halide or mixtures thereof. The halide or mixtures thereof are contacted with a stream of liquid alkali metal or alkaline earth metal or mixtures thereof in sufficient quantity to convert the halide to the non-metal or the metal or alloy and to maintain the temperature of the reactants at a temperature lower than the lesser of the boiling point of the alkali or alkaline earth metal at atmospheric pressure or the sintering temperature of the produced non-metal or metal or alloy. A continuous method is disclosed, particularly applicable to titanium.