Granite sand was used to adsorb anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) from water at natural pH 6.25. The effect of adsorbent size, pH, temperature and amount of adsorbent has been examined. The results indicate that the Langmuir model provides the best correlation of experimental data. Thermodynamic parameters like entropy, enthalpy and free energy of adsorption were evaluated. Decreasing the temperature accelerates the adsorption of SDS onto sand surface. The kinetic data were analyzed by using pseudo-first order Lagergren equation. Adsorption of SDS was exothermic and dominated by physisorption with activation energy (Ea) 33.65 kJ mol(-1). In addition, regeneration of granite sand by washing with Fenton likes reagent was examined. The results suggested that granite sand is suitable as a sorbent material for recovery and adsorption of SDS from aqueous solutions in view of its effectiveness and cheaper cost. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.