The present work has analysed the gas-liquid mass transfer process of carbon dioxide to aqueous solutions polluted with the presence of different surface active substances. The influence of the hydrocarbonate chain length of surfactant employed upon the value of mass transfer coefficient has been analysed. The influences of surfactant nature, solutes concentration and the gas flow-rate fed to the bubble column contactor have been studied in the present work. Different models have been employed to fit experimental values of mass transfer coefficient. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.