Cr(VI) has toxic and carcinogenic effects and is often found contaminating in surface waters. In the present study, coconut shell charcoal thermally and chemically activated with acetic acid was used for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. The increase in temperature reduced the adsorption capacity, indicating exothermic adsorption. Adsorption kinetics was best analyzed for pseudo-second order model exhibited the best correlation coefficient (R² = 0.99) and proved the most efficient in describing the adsorption rate. The Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm demonstrated the best fit to the experimental data (R² = 0.99) to describe the adsorption equilibrium of Cr(VI) at different temperatures. The ∆G° value was negative, which confirms the viability and spontaneity of the adsorption process. The present findings demonstrate that coconut shell charcoal thermally and chemically activated with acetic acid proved efficient and can be used for the treatment of waters containing Cr(VI).