Two montmorillonitic clays were modified with N-(methoxy-polyethylene glycol) ethylene diamine and tested as sorbents for
removal of Rare Earths (REs) from aqueous solutions. Lanthanum was chosen as representing element of REs family and
adsorption tests were performed with the aim of selecting a system with good uptake efficiency for the pollutant abatement in
wastewaters. The effects of pH were studied and the properties of the obtained final materials were evaluated with simple model
systems of the final application. The modified clays were characterized before and after the intercalation, combining the results
of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), whereas the solutions were analysed by means
of Chemical Oxygen Demand to quantify the amount of intercalated polymer and by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical
Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) to quantify the metal ions concentration. The results showed that the organo-clays have been
efficiently prepared while the characterization techniques showed that the intercalation mechanism was strongly dependent on the
pH of the preparation procedure, affecting the protonation of the amino groups.