In this article, a novel biomaterial, the immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae with magnetic chitosan was prepared, characterized, and applied for the removal of Sr2+, Co2+, and Cs+ from aqueous solution in single and binary component systems. The results demonstrated that initial pH values had significant influence on the removal of Sr2+, Co2+, and Cs+. The maximum sorption capacity (qm) for Sr2+, Co2+, and Cs+ in single system was calculated to be 36.97 mg/g, 30.92 mg/g, and 16.67 mg/g from the Langmuir model, respectively. The presence of the competitive metal ions could inhibit the adsorption of the primary metal ions. The order of sorption capacity for Sr2+, Co2+, and Cs+ in both single and binary component systems was Sr2+> Co2+ > Cs+. The immobilized S. cerevisiae had higher affinity to Sr2+ than to Co2+ and Cs+, which was potential biosorbent for removing Sr2+, Co2+, and Cs+ from radioactive wastewater. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 36: 989–996, 2017