Batch experiments were carried out for the sorption of eosin yellow, malachite green and crystal violet onto jute fiber carbon (JFC). The operating variables studied are the initial dye concentration, initial solution pH, adsorbent dosage and contact time. Experimental equilibrium data were fitted to Freundlich, Langmuir and Redlich-Peterson isotherm by non-linear regression method. Langmuir isotherm was found to be the optimum isotherm for eosin yellow/JFC system and Freundlich isotherm was found to be the optimum isotherm for malachite green/JFC and crystal violet/JFC system at equilibrium conditions. The sorption capacities of eosin yellow, malachite green and crystal violet onto JFC according to Langmuir isotherm were found to 31.49 mg/g, 136.58 mg/g, 27.99 mg/g, respectively. A single stage batch adsorber was designed for the adsorption of eosin yellow, malachite green and crystal violet onto JFC based on the optimum isotherm. A pseudo second order kinetic model well represented the kinetic uptake of dyes studied onto JFC. The pseudo second order kinetic model successfully simulated the kinetics of dye uptake process. The dye sorption process involves both surface and pore diffusion with predominance of surface diffusion at earlier stages. A Boyd plot confirms the external mass transfer as the rate limiting step in the dye sorption process. The influence of initial dye concentration on the dye sorption process was represented in the form of dimensionless mass transfer numbers (Sh/Sc-0.33) and was found to be agreeing with the expression: Sh/Sc-0.33 = xC(0)(y). (C) 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.