The photocatalytic decolorization of adsorbed organic dyes (Acid Blue 9, Acid Orange 7, Reactive Black 5 and Reactive Blue 19) in air was examined, applicable to self-cleaning surfaces and catalyst characterization. Dye-coated Degussa P25 titanium dioxide (TiO2) and dye-coated photo-inert aluminum oxide (Al2O3) particles, both of sub-monolayer initial dye coverage, were illuminated with 1.3 mW cm(-2) of near-UV light. Visual evidence of color removal is reported with photographic images. Two methods, Indirect and Direct Analysis, were employed to quantitatively examine the decolorization kinetics of dyes using UV-visible transmission and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, respectively. A decrease in dye concentration with time was observed with near-UV illumination of dye-coated TiO2 powders for all dyes. Dyes did not photodegrade significantly on photo-inert Al2O3. UV-visible spectroscopy data was used to model the kinetics of the photocatalytic degradation. Two first-order reactions in series provided the most convincing rate form for the photodegradation of dyes adsorbed to TiO2, with a first step the conversion of colored dye to colored intermediate, and the second the conversion to colorless product(s). The first rate constant was of similar magnitude for all dyes, averaging k(1) = 0.13 min(-1). Similarly, for the second, k(2) = 0.0014 min(-1). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.