The mechanism and capacity of eggshell for sorbing Cd(II) from aqueous solution was examined in detail. The eggshell was characterized by several techniques. The eggshell was mainly composed of Calcite (CaCO3). The surface charge distribution was determined by acid-base titration and the point of zero charge (PZC) of the eggshell was found to be 11.4. The sorption equilibrium data were obtained in a batch adsorber, and the adsorption isotherm of Langmuir fitted the data quite well. The sorption capacity of eggshell increased while raising the pH from 4 to 6, this tendency was attributed to the electrostatic interaction between the Cd2+ in solution and the surface of the eggshell. Furthermore, the sorption capacity was augmented by increasing the temperature from 15 to 35 degrees C because the sorption was endothermic. The sorption of Cd(II) occurred mainly onto the calcareous layer of the eggshell, but slightly on the membrane layer. It was demonstrated that the sorption of Cd(II) was not reversible, and the main sorption mechanisms were precipitation and ion exchange. The precipitation of (Cd, Ca)CO3 on the surface of the eggshell was corroborated by SEM and XRD analysis. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.