Ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (EDTAD) modified sugarcane bagasse (SB) was prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Due to the presence of a large number of carboxyl groups, the adsorption capacity of the EDTAD modified SB (EDTAD-SB) for malachite green (MG) showed a significant increase compared with SB. Increase in ion strength of solution-induced decline of MG sorption. The maximum adsorption capacities were 157.2 mg g(-1) for MG, according to the Langmuir equation. Kinetic studies showed better correlation coefficients for a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, confirming that the sorption rate was controlled by a chemisorption process.