In this study, sporopollenin of Lycopodium clavatum spores was used for the sorption experiment. Glutaraldehyde (GA) immobilized sporopollenin (Sp), is employed as a sorbent in sorption of selected heavy metal ions. The sorbent prepared by sequential treatment of sporopollenin by silanazing compound and glutaraldehyde is suggested for sorption of Cu(ll), Zn(II) and Co(II) from aqueous solutions. Experimental conditions for effective sorption of heavy metal ions were optimized with respect to different experimental parameters using batch method in detail. Optimum pH range of Cu(II) has occurred at pH >= 5.5 and Zn(II), Co(II) at pH >= 5.0. for the batch method. All of the metal ions can be desorbed with 10 cm(3) of 0.5 mol dm(-3) of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution. Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm equations were applied to the experimental data. Thermodynamic parameters such as free energy (Delta G degrees), entropy (Delta S degrees) and enthalpy (Delta H degrees) were also calculated from the sorption results used to explain the mechanism of the sorption. The results indicated that this sorbent is successfully employed in the separation of trace Cu(ll), Zn(II) and Co(II) from the aqueous solutions. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.