The adsorption of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions by commercial and lab-made high surface area (HSA)-activated carbons was investigated. Physiochemical factors such as equilibrium time, temperature and solution pH that affect the magnitude of Cr(VI) adsorption were studied. The HSA-activated carbons showed high performance for Cr removal, and their adsorption capacity is several times larger than that of commercial carbons. Both micropores and mesopores have important contribution on the adsorption. However, desorption is more dependent on the mesoporosity of activated carbons. Therefore, regeneration is easier for the carbon with high mesoporosity. As a result, the adsorption capacity of mesoporous carbon could be recovered over 97%, whereas 54% for highly microporous carbon. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.