The kinetics and equilibrium of cobalt ion adsorption on crosslinked polyethylenimine (PEI) membrane were studied by the spectroscopic method in terms of time, cobalt ion concentration, and temperature. It was found that the adsorption of cobalt ion on crosslinked PEI membrane obeyed the pseudofirst-order kinetic model and the equilibrium adsorption amount of cobalt ion on crosslinked PEI membrane was closely related to the initial cobalt ion concentration. The equilibrium adsorption amount increased with the decrease of temperature and obeyed a Langmuir isotherm to give the equilibrium constant for the adsorption of cobalt ion on crosslinked PEI membrane under various temperatures. Based on Van't Hoff equation the enthalpy and entropy of the adsorption of cobalt ion on crosslinked PEI membrane were determined to be -12.9 kJ mol(-1) and -107 J mol(-1) K-1, respectively. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.