The time-dependent adsorption of 1-pyrenebutyric acid (PBA) from an aqueous solution onto single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is analyzed experimentally based upon relative changes in optical absorption spectra for PBA and modeled on the basis of mass transport theory. A linear dependence at short time (<= 3 h) is observed for PBA adsorption onto SWCNTs as a function of PBA concentration and solution temperature between 20 and 70 degrees C. Equilibrium data after 78 days obeys a Langmuir isotherm, and suggests strongly favorable adsorption of PBA onto SWCNTs at low solution concentrations (<1 mu g/mL) with a maximum adsorption of 0.27 mg PBA/mg SWCNT, the highest reported amount for a chemical species and SWCNTs to date. A mass transport model is also developed to correlate the experimental results into physical parameters, including the product of the mass transfer coefficient. K, and the specific surface area of SWCNTs, (S)over cap, which equals 0.0066 mL/mg min at 20 degrees C. This approach is coupled with the adsorption measurements as a function of temperature to determine the Arrhenius activation energy for the PBA-SWCNT system, which equals 20.3 kJ/mol and is consistent with a physisorption process. The model and experiments combine to fully describe the kinetic response of PBA onto SWCNTs from an aqueous solution and demonstrate the utility of this framework in studying adsorption applications for SWCNTs with organic compounds. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.