Mesoporous carbon nanofibers (MCNFs) were prepared using ferric-nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) nanofibers as the precursors via annealing under enclosed condition at 500 degrees C. The precursors were synthesized by hydrothermal method with FeSO4 center dot 7H(2)O and nitrilotriacetic acid as the raw materials. The obtained mesoporous carbon nanofiber materials were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement. Characterization results indicated that the mesoporous carbon nanofiber samples with long fibrous morphology, high surface area and mesoporous structure. Due to the porous structure, the obtained MCNFs exhibited excellent performance for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solution. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of the adsorbent were investigated in detail. The experimental equilibrium data of MB and MO were well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption kinetic data of both dyes were found to follow the pseudo-second order kinetic. The calculated thermodynamic parameters namely Gibbs free energy (Delta G degrees), enthalpy (Delta H degrees) and entropy (Delta S degrees) showed that the adsorption process of MB and MO onto MCNFs was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. (C) 2016 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.