Bagasse fly ash, a waste generated in sugar industries in India, has been converted into a low cost adsorbent and has been used for the removal of lead from aqueous solutions in the 4.80 x 10(-4) to 4.83 x 10(-3) M concentration range, Maximum removal takes place at pH 3.0 using 10 g . L-1 of the adsorbent of particle size 150-200 mesh. The effect of the presence of other metal ions, temperature, and contact time has also been studied. Sorption data have been correlated with both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. The adsorbent has been satisfactorily used for the removal of Pb2+ from the effluent of a metal-finishing plant.