Seeds of Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) were discarded as industrial wastes. In order to utilize these seeds effectively, removal ability of dyes in waters by carbonized seeds (Cs) was evaluated as water purification. As a reference, an activated charcoal (Ac) was used under the same experimental condition. In the case of Cs, adsorption equilibrium time for Coomassie Brilliant Blue (CBB, acidic dye) and methylene blue (MB, basic dye) were within 3 hrs and 1 hr, respectively. On the other hand, Ac showed over 48 hrs for adsorption equilibrium of CBB and within 1hr for MB. Results suggested both Cs and Ac charged negatively. Quantity of dye-adsorption by Cs became smaller than that by Ac. SEM images of Cs showed presence of many small holes (diameter: 2-5μm) compared with that of Ac. This difference in microstructure might be related with a difference of quantity of dye-adsorption between Cs and Ac
