The adsorption capacities of vesuvianite and lanthanum doped vesuvianite were studied. The effects of different mass ratios of La/vesuvianite at different contact times, pHs, and temperatures on adsorption capacity were also studied. It was found that lanthanum doped vesuvianite exhibited higher adsorption capacity than undoped one due to the reaction of bounded lanthanum with phosphate. The adsorption capacity of lanthanum doped vesuvianite for phosphate removal increased with the increase of La/vesuvianite mass ratio. The Freundlich and Langmuir models were used to simulate the sorption equilibrium. and the results indicate that the Langmuir model had a better correlation with the experimental data than the Freundlich model did. When the initial phosphate concentration was 1 mg P/L, the adsorptive capacity rate would be 1.32 mg P/g lanthanum doped vesuvianite (La/vesuvianite mass ratio >= 0.14) at pH between 6 and 9 after 40 h. The concentrations of residual lanthanum ions in solution at different conditions were measured. Lanthanum doped vesuvianite was also used for the removal of phosphate in a polluted river water and it could be easily recycled once without losing its activity to a greater extent. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.