Abstract The removal of cadmium by ceramics surfaces was investigated to evaluate sorption effectiveness of these materials in residual waters. The effects of solution pH, contact time, metal concentration and dose of sorbet material were studied in batch experiments. Ceramic material was compositionally and morphologically characterized before and after the removal of cadmium by scanning electron microscopy to establish the metal sorption Sorbent material was also tested in residual water with high cadmium content, achieving a 98% removal efficiency.