We demonstrate the usage of industrially produced zeolites for adsorption of ionic liquids (ILs) in water using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl) as a representative land NaY as a typical Y-type zeolite. The adsorption behaviors of BMIMCl to Nay, are characterized by adsorption kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics and interferences by other compounds. The pseudo 2nd order satisfactorily describes the adsorption kinetics, and thus the Langmuir isotherm is shown to be a suitable model for interpreting the isotherm data. The corresponding q(max) of NaY for BMIMCl is 84 mg g(-1) higher than many reported carbonaceous and bio-derived adsorbents, and can be attributed to the electrostatic attraction between the negatively-charged NaY and cationic BMIM ions. The adsorption of BMIMCl to NaY is favorable and stable under neutral and alkaline conditions, whereas ions and ionic surfactants significantly interfere with adsorption. In addition, solvent-washing methods are less effective approaches to regeneration, whereas the used NaY can fully re-gain its adsorption capacity after heat treatment. The adsorption isotherms of other MIM-based Is to NaY were also determined. We show that NaY, a readily available industrial material, is an effective adsorbent for BMIMCl. The behaviors revealed here can be valuable and critical for further investigating adsorptive removal of ILs from water and interaction of Is to zeolites in water. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.