This study investigates interactions between methylglyoxal (MGL) and 29 different samples, such as clays, proxies and natural dusts from the arid regions of the planet. Initial and quasi steady state uptake coefficients (Y0 and y qss ) of MGL are determined using a Knudsen cell at concentration of 70 ppb, under dry conditions. Remarkably high V0 values for MGL, ranging from 0.05 to 0.67, are determined, close to those of radical species, suggesting a high affinity for dusts. V0 is evidenced to be linearly correlated with the Al/Si ratio of dust samples, indicating a specific initial affinity of MGL with aluminum surface sites. Y qss , determined after 40 min of exposure, ranges from 2.9 x 10- 7 to 5.9 x 10-6. y qss is linearly correlated with Ti/Si ratio, highlighting specific affinity of MGL with titanium. The impact of concentration on y qss is investigated on Gobi dust with MGL concentrations ranging from 0.1 ppt to 2.2 ppm. y qss increases when MGL concentration decreases. Under typical dust storm conditions, MGL uptake competes with gas phase removal by OH radicals or photolysis. In addition, the maximum storage capacity of MGL by samples is determined at 2 ppm with Knudsen cell. MGL uptake does not exceed a compact monolayer on natural dust samples, whereas on some surrogates multilayer uptake is reached. Comparison of V0 and y qss of glyoxal and MGL shows that MGL generally exhibits higher affinity with samples. The maximum number of molecules taken up by Gobi dust (Nmax) of MGL is compared with those for isoprene, isopropanol and acetic acid retrieved from literature. It points at the dependance of N max on chemical functionality of VOCs: oxygenated compounds exhibit higher interactions with dust. Data are available to increase the representativeness of modeling.