The procedure for obtaining a bentonite based composite involves the application of mixed Fe and Mg hydroxides coatings onto bentonite particles in aqueous suspension and subsequent thermal treatment of the solid phase at 498K. Structural and textural modifications of montmorillonite which occurred during the synthesis of composite were confirmed by XRD technique and N-2 adsorption at 77K. The composite structure was found to be less ordered, while its specific surface area was about two times higher than the specific surface area of the starting/native bentonite. The effectiveness of the composite in Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions at different initial concentrations, pH and ionic strengths of the solutions was examined. The equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed using three widely applied isotherms: Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich. The composite effectively removes both ionic and colloidal forms of Pb(II) from water and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained from the Langmuir equation was 95.88 mg/g. The main mechanisms of Pb(II) removal at low pH values were ion-exchange and outer-sphere surface complexation. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.