RESUMEN Diferentes materiales no convencionales han sido evaluados en los ultimos anos como adsorbentes para el tratamiento de efluentes coloreados provenientes de la industria textil. La tierra fuller (TF) compuesta por distintos minerales, ha presentado una alta capacidad para la remocion de diferentes colorantes cationicos, no obstante el rojo basico 46 (RB46), ampliamente utilizando en los procesos de tincion no ha sido estudiado sobre este material. En esta investigacion se evaluan las mejores condiciones para alcanzar la mayor remocion del RB46 sobre TF mediante un diseno estadistico de experimentos bajo sistema discontinuo. Las variables analizadas fueron dosis de adsorbente, concentracion de colorante y tiempo de contacto. La concentracion final del colorante se cuantifico por espectrofotometria UV-Vis. Un diseno factorial 2 3 y su posterior optimizacion a traves de un diseno de superficie de respuesta central compuesta permitio alcanzar una remocion maxima del 99,07 % a una concentracion de 35,0 mgL -1 , una dosificacion de 1,1 gL -1 y un tiempo de contacto de 8 h con un coeficiente de correlacion ajustado del 96,79 % . ABSTRACT Several non-conventional materials have been evaluated in recent years as adsorbents for the treatment of colored effluents from the textile industry. Fuller’s earth (TF) which is composed of various minerals has shown a high capacity for removal of different cationic dyes, however the basic red 46 (RB46) widely used in dyeing processes, has not been studied on this material. In this research were evaluated the best conditions to achieve the higher removal of RB46 on TF through a statistical design of experiments under batch system. The analyzed variables were adsorbent dosage, dye concentration and contact time. The final concentration of the dye was quantified by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. A factorial design 2 3 and its further optimization through a central composite surface design allowed to achieve a maximum removal of 99.07% at a concentration of 35,0 mgL -1 , a dosage of 1,1 gL -1 and a contact time of 8 h with an adjusted correlation coefficient of 96.79%. TF is an excellent material for the removal of RB46 since it requires a lower dosage for high concentrations of the dye compared with those reported for other adsorbents.