Using living cells to remove heavy metals was limited by the sensitivity of living cells to heavy metal ions. Effect of inorganic salts on the growth and Cd2+ bioaccumulation of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii (Z. rouxii) was studied. Results showed that NaCl, KCl, CaCl2 and MgCl2 could markedly reduce the growth inhibition ratio while NaNO3, KNO3, Na2SO4 and K2SO4 significantly increased it. Effect of inorganic salts on the Cd2+ bioaccumulation of Z. rouxii indicated that different inorganic salts could promote or restrain the growth of Z rouxii under Cd2+ stress by weakening or enhancing Cd2+ bioaccumulation. Although NaCl and KCl lowered the Cd2+ accumulation per unit weight of Z. rouxii biomass, the total Cd2+ bioaccumulation and Cd2+ percentage removal both markedly increased. It suggested that NaCl and KCl could be introduced to enhance the growth and Cd2+ bioaccumulation of Z. rouxii under Cd2+ stress. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.