Chitosan beads (CBs) and glutaraldehyde cross-linked chitosan beads (CGLBs) were used to investigate adsorption behavior of Fe (II/III) ions. Optimal adsorption conditions were determined by analyzing the solution pH, adsorption time, and adsorbent dosage. Kinetic studies were analyzed by using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich and intraparticle diffusion models. The equilibrium data were modeled by Langmuir, Redlich-Peterson, and Freundlich. The kinetic data were found to follow the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. The equilibrium data were best modeled by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacities estimated from the Langmuir model were 90.49 mg Fe (III)/g CGLBs, 59.85 mg Fe (II)/g CBs, and 56.99 mg Fe (II)/g CGLBs. These last two results allow concluding that the cross-linking slightly affected the adsorption capacity of pure chitosan, but the resulting beads are resistant to acidic medium using a small amount of glutaraldehyde and are a friendly alternative for the treatment of wastewater.