Bentonites (Bt) from Pingliang, Gansu Province, were prepared for experiment from Bt by exchanging with an anion surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS), and cation surfactant, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). The properties, kinetics and thermodynamics of methylene blue from water adsorption process on Bt and modified Bt were studied. The results indicated that the adsorbability follows the order of SDS-Bt>Bt>SDS-CPC-Bt>CPC-Bt. The adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics with low activation energy and presented spontaneous physisorption. The adsorption isotherms showed that SDS-Bt, Bt and SDS-CPC-Bt are in accord with the isothermal adsorption equations of Langmuir, but the CPC-Bt is in accord with the isothermal adsorption equation of Tempkin.