The goal of our project was to develop an experimental solution to environmental pollution and to analyze the sustainability of the process. We used a synthetic clay named Na-SAP-20, a mineral which possesses ion exchange properties which allow it to recover heavy metals and other pollutants from bodies of water. The method we developed was tested on Co2+, a material recognized as ‘critical’ due to its uses in a  range of industrial, sustainable and technological applications, and on Cr3+ which is a common polluting agent found in freshwater. The material absorption capacities have been analyzed by spectrophotometry UV-VIS, ICP-MS and NMR-relaxometry; we compared the results obtained with these analytical techniques focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of each one.