Chitosan-based adsorbent (CHITOD material) is used for the removal of Basic Blue 3 (BB 3) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption of BB 3 on CHITOD material was studied as a function of time, sorbent mass and concentration. The influence of these parameters on the adsorption capacity was evaluated using the batch method. Results of adsorption experiments and kinetic data showed that (i) the CHITOD adsorbent exhibited high sorption capacities toward BB 3; (ii) the Langmuir equation represented the best fit of experimental data; (iii) the dye sorption on material was exothermic and spontaneous in nature; (iv) the kinetic measurements showed that the process was rapid; (v) the adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second order model; and (vi) the sorption was dependent on the presence of sulfonate groups. Non-linear method was also found to be more appropriate method for estimating the isotherm and kinetic parameters. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.