This paper studied the effects of different carbon and nitrogen sources on the removal of iron impurities from kaolin using dissimilatory Fe (III) -reducing bacteria (DIRB). Iron impurities in the kaolin were removed using glucose, sucrose, food-sugar, maltose and soluble starch as different carbon sources with removal efficiencies in the order: monosaccharide>disaccharide>Npolysaccharide. More than 50% of the iron impurities were removed from kaolin with an increase of whiteness index from 61% to 82% at 5% (mass/mass) of food-sugar, indicating that food-sugar could alternatively be used as a bulk carbon source to reduce the operational cost of bioleaching. Addition of (NH4) 2SO4 to the bioleaching medium accelerated the bioleaching rate. The samples before and after bioleaching were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Iron was selectively leached from the kaolin without formation of a secondary mineral phase, structural changes were not observed but the crystallinity was improved.