Chitosan was cross-linked using glutaraldehyde in the presence of magnetite. The resin obtained was chemically modified through the reaction with tetraethylenepentamine followed by glycidyl trimethylammonium, chloride, to produce chitosan/amino resin (R1) and chitosan bearing both amine and quaternary ammonium chloride moieties (R2), respectively. The uptake of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) from aqueous solutions using R1 and R2 resins was studied using batch and column methods. The resins showed high affinity for the adsorption of RB5 where an uptake value of 0.63 and 0.78 mmol/g was reported for resins R1 and R2, respectively at 25 degrees C. Both kinetics and thermodynamic parameters of the process were estimated. These data indicated an endothermic spontaneous adsorption process and kinetically followed the pseudo-second order model. Breakthrough and regeneration curves for the removal of RB5 were studied. The adsorbed dye was eluted from the investigated resins effectively. Published by Elsevier B.V.