Process for the production of aluminum chloride and related products

A process for producing substantially pure aluminum chloride comprising:

• providing chlorination products of an aluminous ore containing iron and other impurities;
• contacting said chlorination products with a first solvent to dissolve at least a portion of the chlorides present including at least a portion of the aluminum chloride present in said chlorination products to form a solution;
• separating said solution from said undissolved chlorination products said solution containing aluminum chloride and at least one chloride of iron in a ratio essentially in proportion to their respective solubilities in the solvent;
• separating said first solvent from said solution to leave a mixture of molten chlorides;
• separating said mixture of molten chlorides into an aluminum chloride-rich stream and a second stream, said aluminum chloride-rich stream containing aluminum chloride in a ratio to any chloride of iron present in excess of the solubility ratio of the mixture of chlorides in a second solvent;
• contacting said molten aluminum chloride-rich stream with the second solvent to dissolve aluminum chloride and at least a portion of the chlorides other than aluminum chloride contained in said molten aluminum chloride-rich stream and saturate the solvent with aluminum chloride to form a second solution said second solution being in admixture with aluminum chloride in excess of that which is soluble as a solid phase;
• and;
• recovering said solid aluminum chloride from said second solution, said solid aluminum chloride being substantially pure aluminum chloride.