The potential of almond shells was assessed for adsorption of heavy metal ions such as Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ from aqueous solution. Almond shells were pretreated separately with 0.4 mol/L NaOH, 0.4 mol/L HNO 3 , and distilled water and their adsorption abilities were compared. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out as a function of the initial ion concentration, pH, and adsorbent dosage. Adsorption isotherms of metal ions on adsorbents were determined and correlated with common isotherm equations such as Langmuir, Freundlich, and BET models. The alkali-modified almond shells had adsorption capacities for Pb 2+ from 2 to 9 mg/g and for Cd 2+ from 2 to 7 mg/g, which was much higher than acidand water-pretreated adsorbents. Experimental results showed that the best pH for adsorption was 5-6 and the adsorption values decreased with lowering pH. Isotherm models indicated the best fit for Langmuir model for alkali-modified almond shells. In comparing the parameters of the models, it was observed that the affinity of almond shells for adsorption of lead is stronger than affinity for adsorption of cadmium.Keywords Adsorption . Heavy metal . Low-cost adsorbent . Almond shell . Plant waste Nomenclature q amount of metal ion adsorbed per specific amount of adsorbent (milligrams per gram) C residual metal ion concentration (milligrams per liter) C 0 initial metal ion concentration (milligrams per liter) q m amount of metal ions required to form a monolayer (milligrams per gram) nFreundlich equilibrium constant indicative of bond energies between metal ion and adsorbent K L Langmuir equilibrium constant related to the energy of adsorption (liters per milligram) K B BET constant K F Freundlich equilibrium constant related to bond strength (milligrams per gram) C s solute concentration at the saturation of all layers (milligrams per liter) m adsorbent mass R 2 correlation coefficients 1 Introduction