In this work, the potential removal of Cd, Cu, and Zn ions by non-living macrophytes Egeria densa has been studied. The adsorption kinetic and equilibrium experiments of these three metals on E. densa were performed in batch systems with controlled temperature and constant shaking. It was observed that all metal adsorption rates have increased when the pH was increasing. A pH threshold of 5 was established for use in adsorption experiments in order to avoid the metal precipitation. For adsorption kinetic tests, the equilibrium times for all metals were around 45 to 60 min. The equilibrium data at pH 5 were better described by the Langmuir isotherm than the Freundlich one, with the adsorption rate and maximum metal content values of 0.43 L g-1 and 1.25 mequiv g-1 for Cd, 4.11 L g- 1 and 1.43 mequiv g -1 for Cu, and 0.83 L g-1 and 0.93 mequiv g-1 for Zn. These adsorption parameters for E. densa resemble or are better than those for other biosorbents already studied, suggesting that the macrophytes E. densa as a biosorbent has a good metal removal potential for applications in effluent treatment systems. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.