Investigations on separation of cyanide from coke wastewater were carried out in a cross flow nanofiltration membrane module following microfiltration of real industrial wastewater. Different composite polyamide nanofiltration membranes were used in the system while studying their effectiveness in cyanide separation under different operating conditions. Transmembrane pressure, pH, and cross flow velocity exhibited strong influence on percentage removal of cyanide. 94% cyanide rejection with a permeate flux of 79 liters per hour at a transmembrane pressure of 13 kg/cm(2) and at a volumetric cross flow rate of 700 liters per hour was achieved. The membrane module with a composite membrane having high negative charge was successfully operated without any significant loss in flux even after 72 hours operation. These encouraging results show that microfiltration and nanofiltration with properly selected membranes in an appropriate module could lead to a practical solution to a long-standing problem of cyanide removal from industrial wastewater.