The use of renewable bioresources allows the development of low cost adsorbents that are versatile. In the present paper, the affinity and the removal capacity of montmorillonite/alginate microcapsules for a hydrophobic organic pollutant (4-nitrophenol) and an inorganic pollutant (copper) were evaluated. The physicochemical processes through sorption and kinetic experiments under different ratios of montmorillonite vs. alginate and initial contaminant concentrations were investigated. The total weight loss and diameter decrease during the drying process were 90-96% and 64%, respectively. A significant decrease in beads diameter, related to water elimination, has been observed during the first 24 h. Structural modifications that occur during the drying process were evaluated using thermal analysis. From correlation coefficients. the second-order equation depicts properly the adsorption of copper by the microbeads adsorption capacity increases to saturation with time: 3 and 6 h were needed to reach equilibrium on wet and dry mixed microcapsules. The pseudo-second order model properly depicts the adsorption process of 4-NP onto Na-mont and (Na-mont/SA) mixed rnicrocapsules but failed to reproduce the data observed for the alginate beads. Isotherms data were fitted with good correlation using the Langmuir model: alginate and montmorillonite adsorption capacities (q(m)/wet beads) agree with those obtained by various studies. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.