Competitive adsorption phenomena in alumina (alpha -Al2O3)polyvinyl butyral (PVB)-Menhaden fish oil (MFO) suspensions are studied using diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. PVB and MFO commonly serve as binder and dispersant species, respectively, in nonaqueous tape casting systems. Adsorption isotherm measurements reveal that both PVB and MFO have an affinity for alpha -Al2O3 surfaces, with corresponding plateau coverages of 3.4 and 2.3 mg/m(2), respectively. Sequential competitive adsorption of these species occurred during two-stage milling. MFO was fully adsorbed onto alpha -Al2O3 powder in the absence of PVB during first-stage milling. PVB was then introduced to the system during second-stage milling and found to displace preadsorbed MFO species from such surfaces. At the culmination of milling, PVB composed 25-35 wt% of the adsorbed organic layer. Complete displacement of MFO was not observed, which limited PVB adsorption on alpha -Al2O3.