+1 410-825-2920 Contact Us
menu
+1 410-825-2920 Contact Us
menu

Surface Functionalized Attapulgite for Mercury and PFAS Adsorption

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Surface Functionalized Attapulgite for Mercury and PFAS Adsorption
    • pfas May 5, 2023 activeminerals

    Author: Bo Wang1

    1Active Minerals International, LLC

    Proceeding for the WFC13, Oct 6-9, 2022, San Diego, CA, USA

    ABSTRACT 

    A high-performance adsorbent was developed based on natural attapulgite for mercury and PFAS adsorption. The surface of attapulgite was functionalized to enhance mercury and PFAS adsorption. Test results indicated that this new attapulgite adsorbent was highly effective in removing mercury and PFAS in aqueous solutions. The surface mercury affinity group and PFAS affinity group combined with  intrinsic high surface area and nano pore structure contributes to high mercury and  PFAS adsorption. The new attapulgite mercury and PFAS adsorbent could be used  for various mercury and PFAS removal applications. For example, it could be  combined with a filter aid in a pressure filter for continuous mercury and PFAS  removal process.

    INTRODUCTION 

    Mercury contaminants can be found in oil, liquified natural gas and wastewater. Such  toxic pollutants in industrial and municipal wastewaters are harmful to human health  and the environment [1]. Mercury in refinery hydrocarbon streams can cause catalyst  poisoning, corrosion, and safety issues. Common commercially available mercury  removal technologies include activated carbon adsorption [2], sulfur-impregnated  activated carbon adsorption [3], separation by microemulsion liquid membranes [4],  ion exchange [5] and colloid precipitation [6]. The slow kinetics, poor selectivity for  mercury and low mercury loading capacity of these technologies make the mercury  removal process less efficient and expensive due to the high cost of disposing large  volumes of waste. 

    Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals used  in industry and consumer products and are known to be relatively stable chemicals  with long-term persistence [7 – 8]. As emerging contaminates, PFAS are attracting  increasing attention worldwide as PFAS pollutants in industrial and municipal  wastewaters can find their way into groundwater, water bodies and other the water  environments, posing health risk to humans and wildlife [9 – 10]. Remediation of PFAS  contaminated water tends to be very challenging. Activated carbon adsorption is the  most common commercially available PFAS removal technology [11 – 12]. Other  treatment technologies include anion exchange and high-pressure membranes such  as nanofiltration and reverse osmosis [13 – 14]. Activated carbon is a less effective while anion exchange resin and high-pressure membranes technologies are typically  more expensive. 

    Attapulgite is a natural occurring magnesium aluminosilicate clay mineral with a chain  crystal lattice that is structurally different from other clays such as montmorillonite or  bentonite. Namely, the tetrahedral sheets of attapulgite are divided into ribbons by  inversion because adjacent bands of tetrahedra within one tetrahedral sheet point in  opposite directions rather than in one direction thus creating a structure of ribbons of  2:1 layers joined at their edges, and the octahedral sheets are continuous in two  dimensions only with a general chemical formula of (Mg,Al)2Si4O10(OH)·4(H2O) [15]. This structure leads to the formation of channels that extend throughout the  longitudinal direction of the one-dimensional (1D) nanorods [16 – 19]. The intrinsic  pores and channels in the attapulgite structure coupled with high surface area makes  attapulgite suitable for adsorption applications [20 – 22]. In this study, we report the  performance of the economically attractive and highly effective surface functionalized  attapulgite adsorbent for mercury and PFAS adsorption in aqueous solutions. 

    APPROACH 

    2.1 Preparation of surface functionalized attapulgite adsorbents 

    A natural attapulgite from Climax in Georgia was used as the feed material. Fig.1a  and Fig. 1b show the typical scanning electron micrographs of the one-dimensional  (1D) nanorod-shaped natural attapulgite particles. As illustrated in Scheme 1, surface  of this attapulgite material was functionalized with mercury affinity group or PFAS  affinity group using a patent pending proprietary process.

    Fig.1a. SEM image of natural attapulgite at x25K magnification

    Fig.1b. SEM image of natural attapulgite at x200K magnification

    Scheme 1. Schematic illustration of attapulgite surface functionalization process

    2.2 Sorbent characterization 

    Attapulgite particle size was measured using a laser particle size analyzer. Surface  area was measured by the nitrogen adsorption method of the BET (Brunauer– Emmett–Teller) method. Pore volume and pore size distribution was determined by  mercury porosimetry. 

    2.3 Adsorption test 

    Influent mercury solutions were prepared by spiking 1000 ppm mercury standard  solution into deionized (DI) water to make mercury concentrations around 100 ppb to 10 ppm. Mercury concentrations were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma  (ICP) before and after the adsorption reaction. For the mercury adsorption test,  adsorbent was mixed with mercury solution at 0.125 to 8 g/L in a glass flask for 5 to 30  minutes on a magnetic stirrer plate at room temperature. Mercury removal efficiency  was calculated as follows: 

    (𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛−𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)×100 / 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

    Influent PFAS solutions were prepared by spiking 20 parts per billion (ppb) PFAS  standard solution containing 35 PFAS substances into deionized (DI) water to make  PFAS concentrations around 80 parts per trillion (ppt). Actual PFAS concentrations  were measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) according to  standard EPA Method 533 [23]. For the PFAS adsorption test, 300 mg of adsorbent  was mixed with 250 ml of the prepared PFA solution on a shaker for 18 hours at room  temperature. After the adsorption test, the adsorbent was separated from the liquid  using EPA standard solid-phase extraction (SPE) method SW846 [24]. PFAS  concentration of the filtrate was measured using the LC-MC based on EPA Method  533. PFAS removal efficiency was calculated using the same equation for mercury  removal efficiency. 

    RESULTS, INTERPRETATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS 

    3.1 Mercury adsorbent 

    Fig. 2 shows the pore size distribution of natural attapulgite and surface functionalized  attapulgite. The bimodal distribution in both samples indicates small intrinsic pores  around 15 nm inside attapulgite nanorods, and large inter pores around 5 microns between attapulgite nanorods. 

    Fig. 2 Pore size distribution of natural attapulgite and surface functionalized  attapulgite 

    As shown in Table 1, surface functionalization process slightly increases pore volume,  porosity and particle size. There is minimum impact by surface functionalization  process on attapulgite surface area. 

    Table 1. Particle Size of Surface Functionalized Attapulgite. 

    Sample  d10 

    (μm)

    		 d50 

    (μm)

    		 d90 

    (μm)

    		 Pore Volume  (mL/g) Porosity  (%) Surface Area  (m2/g)
    Natural  

    attapulgite

    		 3.89  13.49  33.93  1.1935  68  125
    Surface  

    functionalized  attapulgite

    		 5.15  16.01  37.48  1.3046  72  124

    Fig. 3 demonstrates that high mercury removal can be achieved at low adsorbent  usage of surface functionalized attapulgite. For comparison, higher adsorbent usage  is need for commercial activated carbon mercury adsorbent to achieve equivalent  removal. For example, about 95% removal efficiency is achieved at 0.5 g/L adsorbent  loading for the surface functionalized attapulgite. For comparison, 8 g/L loading of  commercial activated carbon mercury adsorbent is needed to achieve similar 92%  removal efficiency, i.e., 16 times higher than surface functionalized attapulgite. 

    Fig. 4 shows that surface functionalized attapulgite adsorbs significantly more amount  of mercury than commercial activated carbon mercury adsorbent. This indicates  surface functionalized attapulgite is more cost-effective: it not only reduces adsorbent  material costs but also reduces spent material disposal cost. 

    Fig. 3 Mercury removal efficiency versus adsorbent loading for surface functionalized attapulgite and commercial activated carbon mercury adsorbent.

    Fig. 4 Mercury adsorption isotherm for surface functionalized attapulgite and commercial activated carbon mercury adsorbent

    Fig. 5 shows that surface functionalized attapulgite is fast acting to reduce mercury adsorption process time compared to commercial activated carbon mercury adsorbent.

    Fig. 5 Impact of contact time on mercury removal efficiency.

    3.2 PFAS adsorbent 

    Table 2 shows that 92% total PFAS removal efficiency in 35 PFAS starting solution is  achieved with surface functionalized attapulgite PFAS adsorbent. As shown in Fig. 6,  over 90%, 95% and 97% removal efficiency is achieved for 30, 29 and 17 PFAS  substances, respectively. Fig. 7 shows that over 96% removal efficiency is achieved  for the most common PFAS substances such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA),  perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and  perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). 

    Table 2 PFAS adsorption using surface functionalized attapulgite as adsorbent 

    Fluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) Influent (ppt) Effluent (ppt)
    Removal Efficiency (%)
    Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) 79.88 58.7 26.5
    Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) 78.34 35.1 55.2
    Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) 72.44 13.4 81.5
    Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) 83.94 5.1 93.9
    Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) 80.08 2.53 96.8
    Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) 86.08 2 97.7
    Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) 76.68 3.33 95.7
    Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) 87.06 3.01 96.5
    Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) 83.34 2.92 96.5
    Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTriA) 72.72 1.91 97.4
    Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTeA) 78.98 2.04 97.4
    Perfluorohexadecanoic acid 85.98 1.78 97.9
    Perfluorooctadecanoic acid 87.06 2.06 97.6
    Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) 80.54 2.35 97.1
    Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS) 89.84 1.05 98.8
    Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) 77.7 1.42 98.2
    Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) 73.46 1.77 97.6
    Perfluorononanesulfonic acid (PFNS) 67.46 2.23 96.7
    Perfluorodecanesulfonic acid (PFDS) 75.54 0.955 98.7
    Perfluorododecanesulfonic acid (PFDoS) 59.64 0.515 99.1
    Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (FOSA) 79.34 3.06 96.1
    N-ethylperfluoro-1-octanesulfonamide 73.66 2.44 96.7
    NMeFOSA 83.42 2.94 96.5
    N-methylperfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA) 76.96 1.37 98.2
    N-ethylperfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA) 74.24 1.59 97.9
    2-(N-methylperfluoro-1-octanesulfonamido) ethanol 78.7 2.64 96.6
    2-(N-ethylperfluoro-1-octanesulfonamido) ethanol 80.64 2.09 97.4
    4:2 FTS 69.88 17.3 75.2
    6:2 FTS 69.8 2.7 96.1
    8:2 FTS 81.52 1.8 97.8
    10:2 FTS 76.78 1.56 98
    HFPO-DA 86.54 18.3 78.9
    9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanonane-1-sulfonic acid 76.78 2.31 97
    11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid 71.4 1.29 98.2
    Total PFAS concentration (ng/L) 208.08 92.4

    Fig. 6 Number of PFAS substances with removal efficiency over 90%, 95% and  97%

    Fig. 7 Total PFAS removal efficiency and removal efficiency for most common  PFAS substances.

    CONCLUSIONS 

    Natural attapulgite can be surface functionalized with mercury affinity group or PFAS  affinity group for mercury and PFAS removal applications. Compared to other mercury  removal adsorbent, surface functionalized attapulgite mercury adsorbent can achieve  high mercury removal with lower adsorbent usage. Surface functionalized attapulgite  mercury adsorbent is also fast acting to reduce mercury adsorption process time.  Surface functionalized attapulgite PFAS adsorbent can effectively remove majority of  PFAS substances in mixed PFAS solutions. High removal efficiency on the most  common PFAS substances such as PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA can be achieved  with surface functionalized attapulgite PFAS adsorbent. 

    ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

    This work is supported by Active Minerals International, LLC.  

    REFERENCES 

    [1] Beckers, F., Rinklebe, J., Cycling of mercury in the environment: Sources, fate,  and human health implications: A review. Crit. Rev. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2017, 47, 693–794. 

    [2] Perrich, J.R. Activated carbon adsorption for wastewater treatment. Boca Raton,  Fla; CRC Press: Chicago, 2018. 

    [3] Wang, J.; Deng, B.L.; Wang, X.R.; Zheng, J.Z. Adsorption of aqueous Hg (II) by  sulfur-impregnated activated carbon. Environ. Eng. Sci., 2009, 26, 1693-1699. [4] Urgun-Demirtas, M.; Benda, P.L.; Gillenwater, P.S.; Negri, M.C.; Xiong, H.  Snyder, S.W. Achieving very low mercury levels in refinery wastewater by membrane filtration. J. Hazard. Mater., 2012, 215-216, 98-107. 

    [5] Ghodbane, I.; Hamdaoui, O. Removal of mercury(II) from aqueous media using  eucalyptus bark: Kinetic and equilibrium studies. J. Hazard. Mater., 2008, 160(2- 3), 301-309. 

    [6] Okoronkwo, N.E.; Igwe, J.C.; Okoronkwo, I.J. Environmental impacts of mercury  and its detoxification from aqueous solutions. Afr. J. Biotechnol., 2007, 6, 335- 340. 

    [7] Prevedouros, K., I.T. Cousins, R.C. Buck, and S.H. Korzeniowski. Sources, fate  and transport of perfluorocarboxylates. Environmental Science and Technology, 2006, 40: 32–44. 

    [8] Wang, Z., I.T. Cousins, M. Scheringer, R.C. Buck, and K. Hungerbu¨hler. Global  emission inventories for C4–C14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA)  homologues from 1951 to 2030, part I: Production and emissions from  quantifiable sources. Environment International, 2014, 70: 62–75. 

    [9] Houde, M., A.O. De Silva, D.C.G. Muir, and R.J. Letcher. Monitoring of  perfluorinated compounds in aquatic biota: An updated review. Environmental  Science and Technology, 2011, 45: 7962–7973. 

    [10] Post, G.B., P.D. Cohn, and K.R. Cooper. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), an emerging drinking water contaminant: A critical review of recent literature.  Environmental Research, 2012, 116: 93–117. 

    [11] Hawley, E.L., Pancras, T., Burdick, J., Remediation technologies for  perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)  and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 2012. 

    [12] Ochoa-Herrera, V., Sierra-Alvarez, R., Somogyi, A., Jacobsen, N.E., Wysocki,  V.H., Field, J.A., Reductive defluorination of perfluorooctane sulfonate. Environ.  Sci. Technol., 2008, 42, 3260e3264. 

    [13] Dickenson, E., & Higgins, C. Treatment mitigation strategies for poly-and  Perfluoroalkyl substances. Water Research Foundation Web Report, 2016,  4322. 

    [14] Van Der Bruggen, B., Vandecasteele, C., Van Gestel, T., Doyen, W., & Leysen,  R. A review of pressure-driven membrane processes in wastewater treatment  and drinking water production. Environmental Progress, 2003, 22, 46–56. 

    [15] W.F. Bradley, The structural scheme of attapulgite, Am. Mineral., 1940, 25, 405– 410. 

    [16] Frost, R. L., Locos, O. B., Ruan, H., & Kloprogge, J. T. Near-infrared and mid infrared spectroscopic study of sepiolites and palygorskites. Vibrational  Spectroscopy, 2001, 27(1), 1-13. 

    [17] Gionis V., Kacandes G.H., Kastritis I.D. and Chryssikos, G.D. On the structure of  palygorskite by mid- and near-infrared spectroscopy, American Mineralogist,  2006, 91, 1125-1133. 

    [18] López-Galindo, A., Viseras, C., & Cerezo, P. Compositional, technical and  safety specifications of clays to be used as pharmaceutical and cosmetic  products. Applied Clay Science, 2007, 36(1-3), 51-63. 

    [19] Murray, H. H. Traditional and new applications for kaolin, smectite and  palygorskite: A general overview. Applied Clay Science, 2000, 17(5-6), 207-221. [20] Tong, D. S.; Wu, C. W.; Adebajo, M. O.; Jin, G. C.; Yu, W. H. Ji, S. F.; Zhou, C.  H. Adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution onto porous cellulose derived carbon/montmorillonite nanocomposites. Appl. Clay Sci., 2018, 161,  256−264. 

    [21] Frini-Srasra, N.; Srasra, E. Acid treatment of south Tunisian palygorskite:  removal of Cd(II) from aqueous and phosphoric acid solutions. Desalination 2010, 250, 26−34. 

    [22] Li, N., Fang, J., Jiang, P., Li, C., Kang, H., & Wang, W. Adsorption Properties  and Mechanism of Attapulgite to Graphene Oxide in Aqueous Solution.  International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022, 19(5),  2793. 

    [23] EPA Method 533: Determination of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in  Drinking Water by Isotope Dilution Anion Exchange Solid Phase Extraction and  Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry, December 2019. [24] EPA Method 3535A (SW-846): Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE), February 2007. 

    Share
    ×

    Privacy Policy 

    EFFECTIVE DATE: 03/15/2021

    WHO WE ARE 

    In this Privacy Policy, the words “our,” “us,” “we,” and “AMI” refer to Active Minerals International,LLC. AMI is the world's largest producer of gellant attapulgite and air-float kaolin mineral products. 

    We collect and use information about our web site visitors and those that interact with our products and services in order to manage your relationship with AMI and to better serve you.

    HOW WE PROCESS AND HANDLE DATA 

    The information we collect from you depends on the nature of your relationship with us or your interaction with AMI’s products, services, websites and marketing events and communications. The information we collect may include both Personal Data and Other Information, as detailed below. 

    Personal Data. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Personal Data” is information from which you could be identified, directly or indirectly, and may include contact and business information (such as name, title, email address), account information, license information, payment information, information from third parties, social media data and any other unique identifying information. 

    Other Information. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Other Information” is any information that does not independently reveal your specific identity or does not directly relate to an identifiable individual. Examples include an IP address, browser type, browser language, browsing data, device information, time and date of requests, login activity and cookies. Gathering this information helps us to ensure that our websites and other services work correctly and support our visitor and customer analysis.

    Cookies and Similar Technologies
    As further described in our Cookie Policy, cookies are small text files containing information that is sent to us from your computer or mobile device. They are unique to your account or browser. We use cookies and similar technologies (such as web beacons, device identifiers, pixels and ad tags) to recognize you and track your activity across different AMI services and devices. We use cookies to collect information about the way that visitors use AMI Sites, to support the features and functionality of those Sites, and to personalize your experience when you use them. We use pixel tags and cookies so that we can determine interest in particular topics on our Site and improve the effectiveness of our communications. 

    You can control cookies and other technologies in your browser settings. You can also disable or block the use of cookies and similar technologies that track your behavior on the websites of others for third party advertising. 

    In some instances, we may combine Other Information with Personal Data, such as deriving geographical location from your IP address and combining website browsing data about your usage of the AMI services with your name. If we combine Other Information with Personal Data, we will treat the combined information as Personal Data. 

    You are not required to share the Personal Data that we request. However, if you choose not to share such information, in some cases we might not be able to provide you with the AMI services, allow you to access certain specialized features of the AMI services or be able to effectively respond to any queries you may have. 

    AMI will never collect more of your Personal Data than is necessary for the intended purpose of processing that information. Some of the uses of Personal Data listed in sections 2, 3 and 4 may not be mandatory and can be controlled by you. 

    Please see the YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS section below to learn more about how you can control the information AMI processes about you.

    SECTION 3: AMI WEBSITE(S) (ACTIVEMINERALS.COM, ACTI-GEL.COM, ACTI-PLEX.COM)

    AMI maintains control of the data provided to, collected by or for, or processed in connection to the AMI Sites, as defined in the Terms. We gather information about visitors to both our password-protected websites and our various publicly accessible websites, including the AMI.com website, various AMI blogs, event pages and other websites where this Privacy Policy is posted. 

    A. What information we collect through our Sites and how we collect it 

    a. Information you provide to us 

    We collect information about you through our websites, online forms, online chat and email. 

    When you communicate with AMI, we will store all communications we receive unless otherwise requested by you. If you are submitting information on behalf of another individual, you are responsible for obtaining appropriate consent, including consent to share and transfer any Personal Data across borders. 

    b. Information we collect automatically 

    Log data. As with most internet technology services, our servers automatically collect information when you access or use our Sites and record it in log files. This log may include IP address, usage data, browser type, the date and time the Site were accessed, and language preferences cookies (if enabled). 

    Device Information. AMI collects data about devices accessing the Sites, which may include the type of device, device settings, application IDs, and unique identifiers. Whether we collect any or all of this information will depend on the type of device used and how it has been configured by you. 

    Location Information. We receive data from you and other third parties that helps us to track an approximate device location. We may use, for example, an IP address detected by your browser or device to determine device location. We may also collect information from devices in accordance with the consent process provided by your device. 

    Third Parties. We use and permit select third parties to use automatic data collection tools to collect information using website tracking technologies such as cookies, web beacons, embedded URS, pixels, widgets, buttons or other similar technologies. These can be disabled by you. 

    B. How we use that data 

    We may use the information collected for the following purposes:

    • To improve the operation of the Sites;
    • To engage in research and development of AMI’s product offerings;
    • To conduct ordinary business operations such as sales, marketing, support, education and training;
    • To engage in corporate reporting and management;
    • To recruit employees for AMI;
    • To conduct market research;
    • To maintain a safe and trusted environment for AMI employees, customers, Site visitors and members of the public; and
    • To conduct other similar uses pertaining to the AMI Sites.
    1. How we share thatdata
    • Sharing with AMI Affiliates. We may share your information with our AMI entities worldwide for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. As part of our company, our AMI entities are subject to this Privacy Policy, and our internal privacy policies and data protection requirements are regularly communicated to all of our employees as part of our mandatory compliance training.
    • Sharing with third party service providers. We retain third party service providers to manage or support certain aspects of our business. These third party service providers may be located globally and may provide services to us such as website hosting, data analysis, advertising and marketing services, data hosting, live-chat and helpdesk services, providing information technology infrastructure, customer service, email delivery, credit card processing, auditing and other similar services. Our third party service providers are contractually bound to safeguard any Personal Data they receive from us and they are prohibited from using such Personal Data for any purpose other than to perform the services as instructed by AMI.
    • Engaging in corporate transactions. Circumstances may arise where we may buy or sell assets or businesses as part of a sale, merger or change in control of AMI. In such transactions, we may disclose or transfer your information, in accordance with this Privacy Policy, to prospective or actual purchasers or receive your information from sellers. Any entity which buys us or part of our business will have the right to continue to use the information we have collected and stored, but only in the manner set out in this Privacy Policy.
    • Complying with law / protecting legal rights. We may be required to disclose your information to comply with applicable laws (including laws outside of your country of residence), regulations, court orders, government and law enforcement requests, including national security or other law enforcement requirements. Additionally, if we reasonably believe that it is necessary or appropriate, we reserve the right to use or disclose your information to allow us to pursue available claims or remedies and protect our legal rights, property or the safety of our employees, users or others, to the extent allowed by applicable law. This includes exchanging information with companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud detection.

    MARKETING ACTIVITIES 

    AMI maintains control of the data provided to, or collected by or for, or processed in connection with certain marketing activities, such as in-person meetings, email communications, webinars, conferences, and events. We and our third-party service providers may collect information in the following ways: 

    A. What data we collect through our marketing activities and how we collect it 

    a. Information you provide to us 

    In addition to information submitted to AMI through our Sites, for example when you register for a webinar, subscribe to our email newsletter, or download content (such as AMI whitepapers), we may also collect information from you offline, such as when you attend our events in person or during phone calls with sales representatives. 

    b. Information we acquire from a third party
    To enhance AMI’s ability to provide relevant marketing, offers, and services to you, we may receive information about you from third parties, such as public databases, partners, lead generation services, and social media platforms. We also collect information from other sources to help us correct or supplement our records such as customer enrichment services, improve the quality or personalization of our services to you and to verify your identification in instances of suspected fraud or identity theft. In each instance we will only accept information from third parties where those third parties can demonstrate they have received all necessary consents to share such information with us.

    B. How we use that data 

    We may use information that is collected through our marketing activities in the same way we use information collected through our Sites, as well as for the following purposes:

    • To verify your identity if required;
    • To tailor marketing to your interests, or to recommend products and services that may be of interest to you;
    • To contact you with business, marketing and sales communications that you have agreed to receive such as newsletters, announcements, and special offers, or to notify you of upcoming events;
    • To update and improve AMI services and product offerings;
    • To engage in corporate reporting and management;
    • To conduct market research; and
    • To conduct other similar uses pertaining to the AMI’s Marketing Activities.
    1. How we share thatdata We may share information that is collected through our marketing activities in the same way we share information collected through our Sites, as well as for the following purposes:
    • Communicating with you regarding a Tradeshow. We or our partners may communicate with you about tradeshows that we participate in. These communications may include information about the tradeshows’content, logistics,, updates, or requests for additional information related to your event registration. After the tradeshow, AMI may contact you about the event and our related products and services. 
    • Engaging in advertising. We may provide you with personalized promotional offers (in accordance with your privacy preferences regarding AMI services and other selected partner websites). For example, you might see an advertisement on a partner site for a product that you have recently viewed on a AMI Site. This may involve the use of cookies. We also partner with third parties to display advertising within the AMI services and we contract with service providers to place advertisements on websites owned by third parties. Sometimes this will be achieved by sharing your Personal Data as described in the Cookie Policy.

    PROCESSING YOUR PERSONAL DATA 

    We will only collect and process your Personal Data in the ways described in this Privacy Policy when we have a reason to do so. 

    AMI relies on the following reasons for processing Personal Data:

    • Consent (where you have given consent) 
      We process certain Personal Data based on the consent you provided when you submitted your information. Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw or decline your consent at any time, such as consenting to receive marketing communications.
    • Contract (where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, i.e. to deliver the AMI product or services you or your organization have purchased). 
    • Legitimate interests of AMI or any third parties. 
      Legitimate interests include enabling us to conduct internal business services, such as audits, mergers and acquisitions, reporting, and improving our products and services. Personal Data will only be processed on these grounds when doing so does not outweigh your rights. 
      Where we rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object at any time.
    • Compliance with laws (where we are required to process information to comply with applicable laws) 
      If we ask you to provide Personal Data to comply with a legal requirement or to perform a contract with you, we will make this clear at the relevant time and advise you whether the provision of your Personal Data is mandatory or not (as well as the possible consequences if you do not provide your information).

    HOW WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SECURE 

    At AMI, we understand the importance of information, and the need to keep Personal Data secure. We have implemented and maintain technical, administrative and physical security measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, misuse, alteration, accidental loss or destruction. 

    We regularly review our security procedures to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of all data both online and offline. These security procedures and measures vary based on the sensitivity of the information that we collect, process and store and the current state of technology but include firewalls, data encryption, physical access controls and information access authorization controls. AMI has implemented an incident response plan, with a company protocol we follow in the event of any data breach. We take steps to regularly monitor our systems for vulnerabilities and to ensure that we only share information with those who need to know it. 

    However, no website or internet transmission is completely secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized access, hacking, data loss or a data breach will never occur, and we cannot warrant the security of any information that you provide to us. You are responsible for securing and maintaining the privacy of any password(s) and account registration information uses with AMI and verifying that the information we maintain about you is accurate and current. We are not responsible for protecting any information that we share with a third party based on an account connection that you have authorized. 

    We require that our third-party service providers and partners agree to keep the information we share with them confidential and to use the information only to perform their obligations in the agreements we have in place with them. AMI has implemented internal policies to ensure that such parties are required under contract to maintain privacy and security protections which are at least as consistent with our own policies and practices. 

    STORAGE AND RETENTION OF YOUR INFORMATION 

    AMI is a global company and your information is stored on regional servers depending on your location and the locations of the servers of the companies we hire to provide services to us based on contractual requirements. 

    We will retain your Personal Data for the length of time needed to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law, or unless the information is deleted pursuant to the exercise of your rights. We may also retain cached or archived copies of information provided to us. The deletion of your Personal Data and other use of our Sites may result in the deletion and/or de-identification of Other Information that is retained by us. 

    CROSS BORDER TRANSFERS OF INFORMATION AND THE PRIVACY SHIELD 

    AMI is a global company with business processes, management structures and technical systems that cross national borders. This means that your Personal Data may be transferred internally to AMI Affiliates and externally to third parties (including partners and service providers) across international borders for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. AMI transfers data only in accordance with legally approved transfer mechanisms that are appropriate under applicable data protection laws, including the Standard Contractual Clauses.

    WHAT IS NOT COVERED IN THIS POLICY 

    Please note that this Privacy Policy applies only to your relationship with AMI through your use of AMI’s Sites, products, services, events, communications, and marketing and advertising activities. 

    AMI Partners who provide implementation and other solution services may also gather information and you should consult those other parties’ privacy policies as appropriate as they may be applicable to you. Please also note that in using our services, we may provide links to other websites to directly provide information relevant to your use of AMI products. We will provide notice of when we do this. Any interactions you have with these websites are beyond the control of AMI. The Site provides links to websites and access to content, products and services of third parties, including users, advertisers, partners and sponsors of the Site, and such third party websites, content, products or services are governed by the respective third party’s website terms and conditions of use. 

    If you are a job candidate or an AMI employee, please refer to our AMI Employee and Recruitment Privacy Policy available through ADP Workforce Now.

    YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS 

    We provide you the ability to exercise certain controls and choices regarding our collection, use and sharing of your information. 

    Please be aware that, if you do not allow us to collect your information from you, we may not be able to deliver certain products and services to you, and some of the AMI services may not be able to take account of your interests and preferences. 

    Your choices. In accordance with applicable law, you may be entitled to exercise your rights and choices as follows:

    • Account settings. You may update your profile, your account and any related information at any time to ensure that information is up to date or delete inaccuracies by.
    • Devices and browsers. Some of our mobile services use your device’s location information. You can adjust the setting of your mobile device at any time to control whether your device communicates this location information.
    • Communications from AMI. We may use your information to communicate with you by email, including sending you transactional or marketing emails. AMI enables you to opt out of marketing communications. Some communications you may receive from us are not considered marketing emails, such as communications related to product, sales transactionsand (where permitted by law) quality assurance surveys. Such transactional emails are not subject to general opt-out. Some additional communications you may receive from our partners may also not be subject to general-opt out, including product alerts, updates, and other notices related to partner status. You can tell us to stop sending you marketing emails by clicking the unsubscribe link included at the bottom of AMI’s marketing emails or updating your preferences here. If you have any issues unsubscribing, you may contact us directly.
    • Cookies. Some web browsers (including mobile web browsers) provide settings that allow you to control or reject cookies or to alert you when a cookie is placed on your computer, tablet or mobile device. Although you are not required to accept cookies, if you block or reject them, you may not have access to all features or functionalities available through our services. Please go to our Cookie Policy to learn more on how you can manage your cookie preferences or opt out of cookies and other website data collection tools.

    Additionally, depending on where you are located, you may have other rights. 

    EUROPE and CALIFORNIA

    AMI adheres to applicable data protection laws in Europe and California which, where they apply, provides you with the following rights:

    • Data Access. You may request access to the Personal Data we hold about you and request that we edit or delete them.
    • Data Portability. You are entitled to request copies of Personal Data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or request that this information be transmitted to another service provider (where technically feasible).
    • Deletion. You may be able to have your Personal Data deleted or erased.
    • Correcting inaccurate or incomplete information. We maintain a process to help you confirm that your personal details remain correct and up-to-date.
    • Manage your Information. You may choose whether or not you wish to receive material from us or some of our partners. Please let us know by contacting us.
    • Withdrawing consent. If the processing of your Personal Data is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time as to future processing.
    • Objecting to or restricting use of Personal Data. You can ask us to stop using all or some of your Personal Data (e.g., if we have no legal right to keep using it) or to limit our use of it (e.g., if your Personal Data is inaccurate or unlawfully held).

    Privacy relating to minors 

    As a company focused on serving the needs of businesses, AMI does not promote or market the AMI services to minors and we do not knowingly collect information from minors as defined by applicable law. If we discover we have received any Personal Data from a person under the age of 13 in violation of this Policy, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information as quickly as possible. 

    If you believe we have any information from or about anyone under the age of 13, please contact us.

    UPDATES TO THE POLICY

    From time to time, we may change this Privacy Policy to accommodate new technologies, industry practices, regulatory requirements or to reflect any changes in how we process information. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will be effective when we post the revised Privacy Policy on this website. 

    CONTACT US 

    If you believe your Personal Data has been used in a way that is not consistent with this Privacy Policy or your specified preferences, or if you have further questions related to this Privacy Policy, we encourage you to please contact our Privacy Team at the address below or by emailing: Privacy@activeminerals.com .

    Written inquiries may be addressed to our General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at: 

    Chris Coley 
    Active Minerals Inc 
    34 LovetonCir, STE 100
    Sparks, MD 21152
    Phone: +1 (410) 825-2920
    Fax: +1 (410) 321-1268

    Important Cookie Information

    This site uses cookies to give you the best possible experience. By continuing to use the site you agree that we can save cookies on your device. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that remember your preferences and some details of your visit. Our cookies don’t collect personal information. For more information and details of how to disable cookies, please read our updated privacy and cookie policy.