Absorbents, process for the production thereof and use thereof

1. A process for adsorbing and/or absorbing organic and/or inorganic substances from a liquid or gaseous phase comprising contacting said liquid or gaseous phase with an adsorbent which is a spherical granular adsorbent for organic compounds consisting of granules which contain 20 to 99.9 wt. % of filler particles of silica and rubber as a binder, said adsorbent having been made by a process of mixing at least one binder which is rubber with at least one filler particle which is silica in a granulator having a spiked shaft, by injecting the binder by means of at least one nozzle into said granulator in at least one location and granulating resulting mixture, whereby the filler particles are incorporated into the surface of the binder such that the resulting adsorbent does not stick together, said mixing taking place at a temperature of from 20° to 140° C., with a rotational speed of the granulator being from 100 to 1500 rpm, and where the circumferential speed of spike tips in said spiked shaft is 1 to 30 meters/sec.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein said substance is an oil spill in water.

3. A method for treating an oil spill in water comprising spreading an adsorbent on the water surface whereby said adsorber picks up the oil and binds it irreversibly to form aggregates and thereafter collecting said aggregates, wherein said adsorbent is a spherical granular adsorbent for organic compounds consisting of granules which contain 20 to 99.9 wt. % of filler particles of silica and rubber as a binder, said adsorbent having been made by a process of mixing at least one binder which is rubber with at least one filler particle which is silica in a granulator having a spiked shaft, by injecting the binder by means of at least one nozzle into said granulator in at least one location and granulating resulting mixture, whereby the filler particles are incorporated into the surface of the binder such that the resulting adsorbent does not stick together, said mixing taking place at a temperature of from 20° to 140° C., with a rotational speed of the granulator being from 100 to 1500 rpm, and where the circumferential speed of spike tips in said spiked shaft is 1 to 30 meters/sec.

4. A method for controlling pollution comprising treating washing water from motor vehicle washing plants with an adsorbent which is a spherical granular adsorbent for organic compounds consisting of granules which contain 20 to 99.9 wt. % of filler particles of silica and rubber as a binder, said adsorbent having been made by a process of mixing at least one binder which is rubber with at least one filler particle which is silica in a granulator having a spiked shaft, by injecting the binder by means of at least one nozzle into said granulator in at least one location and granulating resulting mixture, whereby the filler particles are incorporated into the surface of the binder such that the resulting adsorbent does not stick together, said mixing taking place at a temperature of from 20° to 140° C., with a rotational speed of the granulator being from 100 to 1500 rpm, and where the circumferential speed of spike tips in said spiked shaft is 1 to 30 meters/sec.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the filler particles of silica have their surfaces modified with one or more organosilicon compounds of the formulae

[R 1 n (RO) 3-n Si-(Alk) m -(Ar)p]q[B]  (I),

R 1 n (RO) 3-n Si-(Alkyl)  (II),

or

R 1 n (RO) 3-n Si-(Alkenyl)  (III)

in which

B: means —SCN, —SH, —Cl, —NH 2 (if q=1) or

-Sx- (if q=2), and

B is attached to Ar when p=1, or B is attached to Alk when p=0,

R and R 1 : mean an alkyl group, branched or unbranched, having 1 to 4 carbon atoms,

a phenyl residue, wherein all residues R and R 1 may in each case have the same or a different meaning,

n: means 0; 1 or 2

Alk: means a divalent linear or branched carbon residue having 1 to 6 carbon atoms,

m: means 0 or 1

Ar: means an arylene residue having 6 to 12 C atoms

p: means 0 or 1, providing that p and m do not simultaneously mean 0,

q: is 1 or 2

x: means a number from 2 to 8,

Alkyl: means a monovalent linear or branched, unsaturated hydrocarbon residue having 1 to 20 carbon atoms,

Alkenyl: means a monovalent linear or branched, unsaturated hydrocarbon residue having 2 to 20 carbon atoms.