Unilever Patent Holdings B.v.

Robert M Hunter

Maurice Webb

Keith R Cockett

Martin Concannon

Anthony L Lovell

Roderick T Whalley

Anthony Nock

A method of treating a liquid medium to remove from it matter present therein comprises adding to the liquid medium at least one of an at least partially undried sorbing agent (a), a freshly prepared sorbing agent (b) and an in-situ sorbing agent (c). Sorbing agent (a) comprises a hydrotalcite-like material resulting from the preparation thereof in a liquid reaction medium, which preparation allows retention, in the hydrotalcite-like material, of at least 10% of free liquid, based on the weight of the hydrotalcite-like material, including the free liquid, and (a).sub.1 which sorbing agent is present in an amount, on a dry weight basis, of the sorbing agent, by volume of the liquid medium to be treated, of .ltoreq.0.035% w/v, or (a).sub.2 the preparation of the hydrotalcite-like material is such as to provide a grain size of the hydrotalcite-like material of .ltoreq.130 .ANG., as measured in the &lt;001&gt; direction by x-ray diffraction on a subsequently dried material. Sorbing agent (b) comprises a hydrotalcite-like material resulting from the preparation thereof in a liquid reaction medium and present in the reaction medium without substantial removal of the reaction medium. Sorbing agent (c) comprises a reaction mixture capable of forming, in-situ, in the contaminated liquid medium, a hydrotalcite-like material.

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Cheshire, United Kingdom

Robert M Hunter