Oxidation of hydrogen halides to elemental halogens

A process for regenerating chlorine from hydrogen chloride comprising:

• in a fused salt contactor which contains only liquids and gases and which is maintained substantially free of sulfur oxide gases, contacting an oxidizing gas comprising molecular oxygen and hydrogen chloride containing substantially no sulfur impurities with a molten salt mixture comprising 5 to 25 wt. percent K.sub.2 SO.sub.4 and 50 to 90 wt percent K.sub.2 S.sub.2 O.sub.7 and 2 to 25 wt. percent dissolved V.sub.2 O.sub.5 oxidizing catalyst;
• and
• maintaining said salt mixture at a temperature between 275.degree. C. and 475.degree. C., sufficient to oxidize a major portion of said hydrogen chloride, and insufficient to substantially change or alter the balance of the components so that substantially no additions of make up quantities of said components are required and regeneration of said salt mixture outside said reactor is not required, thereby producing a gaseous effluent which contains primarily steam and chlorine along with a smaller amount of unreacted hydrogen chloride and unreacted oxidizing gas and which is substantially free of sulfur oxide gases.