The objective of this work was to investigate the sorption characteristics of polypyrrole (PPy) for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. The sorption process was carried out by a dynamic batch method in order to determine the optimum conditions. For a sorbent dose of 0.6 g in 100 mL of a Cr(VI) solution, at a contact time of 15 min and a pH of 3, a removal efficiency of 84.5% was achieved. The Morris–Weber and Lagergren equations, as well as a pseudo‐second‐order equation were examined to explore the kinetics of the removal process. In addition, the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models were applied to estimate the capacity, intensity, and energy of the sorption process. It was found that increasing temperature showed a positive effect on the ion sorption efficiency. In summary, PPy was shown to be a suitable candidate for chromium(VI) ion removal from aqueous solutions at different concentrations. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers.