Activated carbon prepared from peanut hulls (PHC), an agricultural waste by-product, has been used for the adsorption of Cd(II) from synthetic wastewater. The adsorption data fit better with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The applicability of the Lagergren kinetic model has also been investigated. An almost quantitative removal of 20 mg/L Cd(II) by 0.7 g of PHC/L of aqueous solution was observed in the pH range 3.5-9.5. A comparative study with a commercial granular activated carbon (CAC) showed that the adsorption capacity (K(f)) of PHC was 31 times larger than that of CAC.