The supported adsorbent was prepared by loading Fe-Mn binary oxide onto the surface of palygorskite clay with the oxidation reduction coprecipitation techniques. The adsorption properties and mechanism of adsorbing phosphate were investigated by static adsorption experiments with a discussion on the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic characteristics. The results demonstrate that the initial pH value, adsorption time and temperature of the solution can influence adsorption capability, and adsorption equilibrium can be reached after about 90 min under neutral conditions. It is found that the adsorption processes follow pseudo-second-order equation most effectively, with the adsorption apparent activation energy being 11.76 kJ/mol. The fitting of the adsorption isotherms with Freundlich equation is slightly better than that with Langmuir equation, and the maximum adsorption capacity is 26~31mg/g. Adsorption enthalpy is 9.29 kJ/mol, adsorption entropy is positive and adsorption Gibbs free energy changes are in the range of -4.3~-5.8 kJ/mol. The adsorption is multilayered and heterogeneous, with the coexistence of physical and chemical effects, without strong chemical bond function.