In this study, the reductive decolorization of three acid and basic dyes using modified zero-valent iron (i.e., acid-washed iron (Aw/Fe) and palladium coated iron (Pd/Fe)) at various pH conditions (pH 3 5) was experimentally investigated and the decolorization characteristics were evaluated by analyzing the absorbance spectra and reaction kinetics. In the case of acid dyes such as methyl orange and eriochrome black T, color removal efficiencies increased as initial pH of the dye solution decreased. However, the color removal of methylene blue, a basic dye, was not affected much by the initial pH and more than 70% of color was removed within 10 min. During the decolorization reaction, the absorbance of methyl orange (λmax = 464 nm) and eriochrome black T (λmax = 528 nm) decreased in the visible range but increased in the UV range. The absorbance of methylene blue (λmax = 664 nm) also decreased gradually in the visible range. Pseudo-zero order, pseudo-first order, and pseudo-second order kinetic models were used to analyze the reaction kinetics. The pseudo-second order kinetic model was found to be the best with good correlation. The decolorization reaction rate constants (k2) of methylene blue were relatively higher than those of methyl orange and eriochrome black T. The reaction rate constants of methyl orange and eriochrome black T increased with a decrease in the initial pH.