AbstractConventional methods for the characterization of adsorption systems (determination of equilibrium and kinetic parameters) have been discussed. It is shown that the kinetic parameters determined by conventional methods are completely inconsistent with the equilibrium parameters. This inconsistency is due to the application of completely different models for equilibrium and kinetic study. In the present study adsorption is viewed as a Langmuir type physico‐chemical reversible process and a three‐parameter model is proposed which describes an adsorption system from both equilibrium and kinetic viewpoints. The model satisfactorily describes the kinetic and the equilibrium data reported by previous authors.