Recovery of lead and indium from glass, primarily from electronic waste material

A process for recovering lead and/or indium from glass containing PbO and/or indium oxide, primarily from electronic waste material, said process including the steps of:

• i) crushing the glass to produce a cullet,
• j) providing a crucible containing a chloride salt melt, at least one cathode and an anode connected to the salt melt, heating means for heating the salt melt, and an aluminum melt present at the bottom of the crucible, said aluminum melt forming the anode or a part of the anode,
• k) providing an initiating chlorine donor to the salt melt for starting the reactions in the salt melt, said initiating chloride donor being aluminum chloride and/or at least one metal chloride that can be electrolyzed in step g) to form aluminum chloride,
• l) holding the temperature of the salt melt and the temperature of the aluminum melt at a temperature where both are in liquid phase,
• m) introducing said cullet into the liquid salt melt,
• n) reacting the aluminum chloride as a chlorine donor with the cullet to form at least one of lead chloride and indium chloride being dissolved in the salt melt,
• o) electrolyzing the salt melt and selectively depositing at least one of lead and indium at the cathode, optionally using a cathode bag, and in situ forming aluminum chloride at the contact surface between the aluminum melt and the salt melt, and
• p) recovering at least one of lead and indium from the salt melt.