The adsorption of antibiotic tetracycline onto silica particles was investigated. The effects of pH, electrolyte concentration and temperature on the adsorption equilibrium were examined and the data correlated with a dual site adsorption model. Adsorption of tetracycline onto approximately 9% of the adsorption sites was found to be irreversible, whereas the rest exhibited Langmuir behaviour. Increasing pH of the solution had a strong negative effect on the adsorbed amounts. Adsorption decreased also with increasing ionic strength and temperature. The enthalpy and entropy of adsorption were found to be approximately -16 and -25 J/mol, respectively.