CaCl2 modified bentonite (BCa2+), a clean and cost-effective adsorbent with a basal spacing of 15.43 angstrom, was prepared for the removal of Congo red dye from water. It was effective for the removal of Congo red with a high adsorption capacity, and the adsorption was favored over a broad pH range (5-10). The pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided the best correlation of the experimental data. Adsorption isotherms indicated that sorption took place at specific homogeneous sites within the adsorbent. Furthermore, BCa2+ showed higher sorption capacity compared with other common materials used as adsorbents for Congo red dye. The results showed that BCa2+ could be employed as a low-cost material for the removal of Congo red from aqueous solutions. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.