A novel efficient Ni2+ adsorbent A-type zeolite is successfully synthesized. It is worth noting that the raw material used is the waste coal ash produced by local power plants. The ability of A-type zeolite to remove Ni2+ from wastewater is up to 94%. In the study, the physical properties of zeolite are systematically characterized. In addition, we study in detail the effect of the external environment on the adsorption capacity of A-type zeolite. More-over, the pseudo secondary kinetic model and Langmuir isothermal model evaluate the kinetic performance and isothermal equilibrium adsorption ability are better. The synthetic zeolite not only effectively uses the coal fly ash, but also realizes the sewage recycling. Therefore, the use of power plant coal fly ash to make adsorbent zeolite has potential practical significance. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.