Groundwater pollution by nitrates is a widespread problem in many locations in the world. The underground aquatic mantle of the Peninsula of Yucatan is highly vulnerable due to its karstic nature. Adsorption methods are a good choice for nitrate elimination. In this work, a natural calcium bentonite was modified by acid thermoactivation with HCl and H2SO4, and tested as a media for nitrate removal in an aqueous solution. The nitrate concentration in the solution was measured by FT-IR, using the Lambert-Beer law. Clay characterization was carried out by X-ray diffraction and FT-IR spectroscopy; surface area was measured by the BET method. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.