This study examined the feasibility of removing direct dyes C.I. Direct Yellow 86 (DY86) and C.I. Direct Red 224 (DR224) from aqueous solutions using carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The effects of dye concentration, CNT dosage, ionic strength and temperature on adsorption of direct dyes by CNTs were also evaluated. Pseudo second-order, intraparticle diffusion and Bangham models were adopted to evaluate experimental data and thereby elucidate the kinetic adsorption process. Additionally, this study used the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin and Radushkevich (D-R) and Temkin isotherms to describe equilibrium adsorption. The adsorption percentage of direct dyes increased as CNTs dosage, NaCl addition and temperature increased. Conversely, the adsorption percentage of direct dyes decreased as dye concentration increased. The pseudo second-order model best represented adsorption kinetics. Based on the regressions of intraparticle diffusion and Bangham models, experimental data suggest that the adsorption of direct dyes onto CNTs involved intraparticle diffusion, but that was not the only rate-controlling step. The equilibrium adsorption of DR86 is best fitted in the Freundlich isotherm and that of DR224 was best fitted in the D-R isotherm. The capacity of CNTs to adsorb DY86 and DR224 was 56.2 and 61.3 mg/g, respectively. For DY86, enthalpy (Delta H-0) and entropy (Delta S-0) were 13.69 kj/mol and 139.51 J/molK, respectively, and those for DR224 were 24.29 kJ/mol and 172.06 J/lmol K, respectively. The values of Delta H-0, Delta G(0) and E all indicate that the adsorption of direct dyes onto CNTs was a physisorption process. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.