Patent ID: 8475584

Claim:
A method for preparing a zinc clay, comprising: a) adding a slurry of a cation-exchangeable clay having a cation exchange capacity in a range of about 50 milliequivalents per 100 grams of clay to about 150 milliequivalents per 100 grams of clay to a zinc ammonia carbonate complex solution to form a zinc clay suspension, wherein said cation-exchangeable clay is selected from the group consisting of bentonite clays, smectite clays, vermiculite clays and mixtures thereof; calcium montmorillonite, sodium montmorillonite, synthetic vermiculites, and mixtures thereof; b) agitating and then filtering the zinc clay suspension and removing zinc ions with an aqueous composition comprising ammonia and CO 2 to isolate the zinc clay, wherein the isolated zinc clay includes an amount of zinc ions that are insoluble in an aqueous solution of ammonia and carbon dioxide that exceeds the cation exchange capacity of the cation-exchangeable clay; and c) heating and drying the isolated zinc clay.