This work aimed at comparing the adsorption capacity of tartrate ions from aqueous solution onto functionalized activated carbon (CAF) and non-functionalized activated carbon (CA) prepared from groundnut shells. Studies of the effects of different adsorption parameters such as contact time, pH of the solution, adsorbent mass and initial concentrations was carried out. The optimum conditions of tartrazine adsorption by CA were found to be at pH 2, contact time of 10 minutes, adsorbent dose of 0.01 g and initial concentration of 10 ppm; whereas with CAF, the same conditions were respected with the exception of concentration which maximum was 50 ppm. From the results obtained, CA adsorbed better than CAF (17,72487 mg/g and11,0053 mg/g respectively). Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin, D-R-K classical adsorption isotherm models were used to analyzed equilibrium data and these data best fitted to Langmuir model for CAF and CA which implies that physisorption is the limiting step. The 1/n values for both adsorbents found between 0 and 1 indicated that the adsorbents have heterogenous surfaces and adsorption is normal. The kinetic data were evaluated using the Pseudo first-order, Pseudo second-order, Intraparticle diffusion, mass transfer and Elovich models. The data were found to correlate well with pseudo second order for both CA and CAF. The low value of Kid, that is the intraparticle diffusion constant, indicated that diffusion of tartrate ions toward the active sites was low and Intraparticle diffusion constant was the rate-limiting step. The mechanism of adsorption that took place in the adsorption of tartrate ions using CA and CAF was electrostatic attraction (Since it contains pores)