Many methods have been developed to remove heavy metal ions in water, i.e. membrane technology, ion exchange, phytoremediation and adsorption (Namasivayam and Ranganathan, 1995). Adsorption is one of the common methods that have been widely applied for water and wastewater treatment. Activated carbon is a common adsorbent in many countries, however, it is quite expensive (Papandreou et al., 2007). The high cost of the activated carbon has inspired many researchers into the development of alternative low cost adsorbent.