The adsorption of three basic dyes (Rhodamine B (RB), Crystal Violet (CV), and Methylene Green (MG)) and two acid dyes (Acid Red 1 (AR1) and Erioglaucine (EG)) onto MCM-41 was studied to examine the potential of MCM-41 for the removal of dyes from water solution. The revolution of pore structure and surface chemical characteristics of MCM-41 induced by dyes adsorption was characterized based on the analyses of XRD patterns, FTIR spectra, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The adsorption capacity of MCM-41 for the five dyes followed a decreasing order of RB > CV > MG > EG similar to AR1. It was experimentally concluded that if the dyes adsorption did not introduce a serious disorder on the pore structure of MCM-41 (such as RB adsorption), MCM-41 might be a good adsorbent for the removal of basic dyes from water solution. The fitness of both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption model on describing the equilibrium isotherms of three basic dyes was examined. The suitability of both pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the intraparticle diffusion model for the description of the kinetic data was investigated, from which the adsorption mechanism was examined. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.