The aim of this paper is to remove cadmium ions from aqueous solutions by sorption onto synthetic akaganeite-type nanocrystals. This material was shown to be a promising inorganic adsorbent due to its favourite characteristics. Synthetic akaganeite was prepared in the laboratory according to a new method. In this paper, the effects of adsorbent amount, initial cadmium concentration, pH value of solution, concentration of background electrolyte ions and temperature variation on the treatment process of cadmium removal by akaganeite were investigated. Typical adsorption isotherms (Freundlich and Langmuir) were determined for the mechanism of sorption process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis also revealed useful information. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.