Cinnamomum camphora sawdust (CCS) was employed as a cheap and effective biosorbent to remove basic dye from aqueous solutions. The biosorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Adsorption experiments were carried out in a batch system as a function of initial pH, adsorbent dose and particle size, ionic strength, initial dye concentration, and reaction temperature. The selected basic dye (malachite green) adsorption onto CCS significantly depended on these factors. By comparative kinetic analysis, the rate of sorption was conformed with good correlation to pseudo-second-order kinetics. Equilibrium data were fitted well by Langmuir isotherm with the maximum adsorption capacity of 155.0 mg/g at the temperature of 318 K and pH 7.0 +/- 0.1. Thermodynamic parameters proved that malachite green dye biosorption process was spontaneous and endothermic within the investigated temperature range. The mechanism of adsorption was also studied. It was found that the adsorption of malachite green onto CCS was mainly governed by film diffusion. The electrostatic attractions and ionic interactions between malachite green dye and CCS might be responsible for the adsorption process. The comparative investigation suggested that the sawdust could be considered as a potential adsorbent for malachite green dye removal from wastewater.