Product for Adsorption

A method of producing a product for adsorbing a heavy metal from a liquid, the method comprising:

• surface functionalizing clay with a solution, the solution including a surface treating agent that includes (a) one or more arsenic affinity functional groups, and/or (b) one or more selenium affinity functional groups,
• wherein the weight percentage of components of the product includes:
• 70-99 wt. % clay;
• and
• 1-30 wt. % surface treating agent that includes the one or more arsenic affinity functional groups, and/or the one or more selenium affinity functional groups,
• wherein 60-95% of the product is in the form of granules sized to pass through a 10 mesh sieve and to be retained on a 60 mesh sieve, or sized in the range of less than 2000 microns to 250 microns,
• wherein the clay includes attapulgite and/or sepiolite,
• wherein, the arsenic affinity functional groups are deposited on the clay surface and/or the selenium affinity functional groups are deposited on the clay surface,
• wherein the heavy metal includes arsenic and/or selenium.

A method for adsorbing at least one heavy metal in a liquid, the method comprising:

• contacting the liquid with a product, the product comprising clay that has been surface functionalized with a surface treating agent that includes (a) one or more arsenic affinity functional groups, and/or (b) one or more selenium affinity functional groups;
• and
• separating the liquid from the product to recover a resultant liquid that has a lower amount of arsenic and/or selenium than the liquid had prior to the contacting,
• wherein the weight percentage of the components of the product includes:
• 70-99 wt. % clay, and 1-30 wt. % surface treating agent,
• wherein 60-95% of the product is in the form of granules sized to pass through a 10 mesh sieve and to be retained on a 60 mesh sieve, or sized in the range of less than 2000 microns to 250 microns,
• wherein the clay includes attapulgite and/or sepiolite,
• wherein, the arsenic affinity functional groups are deposited on the clay surface and/or the selenium affinity functional groups are deposited on the clay surface,
• wherein the product is loaded in the liquid at a weight percentage to have a removal efficiency for arsenic and/or selenium in the liquid of 60-100%.