Biosorption of chromium and zinc ions by an industrial algal waste, from agar extraction industry has been studied in a batch system. This biosorbent was compared with the algae Gelidium itself, which is the raw material for agar extraction, and the industrial waste immobilized with polyacrylonitrile (composite material). Langmuir and Langmuir-Freundlich equilibrium models describe well the equilibrium data. The parameters of Langmuir equilibrium model at pH 5.3 and 20 degrees C were for the algae, q(L)=18 mg Cr(III)g(-1) and 13 mgZn(II)g(-1), K(L) = 0.021l mg(-1)Cr(III) and 0.026l mg(-1) Zn(II); for the algal waste, q(L)=12 mgCr(III)g(-1) and 7mgZn(II)g(-1), K(L)=0.033lmg(-1) Cr(III) and 0.042l mg(-1) Zn(II); for the composite material, q(L) = 9 mgCr(III)g(-1) and 6 mgZn(II)g(-1), K(L)=0.032l mg(-1)Cr(III) and 0.034l mg(-1)Zn(II). The biosorbents exhibited a higher preference for Cr(III) ions and algae Gelidium is the best one. The pseudo-first-order Lagergren and pseudo-second-order models fitted well the kinetic data for the two metal ions. Kinetic constants and equilibrium uptake concentrations given by the pseudo-second-order model for an initial Cr(III) and Zn(II) concentration of approximately 100 mgl(-1), at pH 5.3 and 20 degrees C were k(2,ads)=0.04 g mg(-1)Cr(III)min(-1) and 0.07 g mg(-1)Zn(II)min(-1), q(eq)=11.9 mgCr(III)g(-1) and 9.5 mgZn(II)g(-1) for algae; k(2,ads)=0.17 g mg(-1)Cr(III)min(-1) and 0.19 g mg(-1)Zn(II)min(-1), q(eq)=8.3 mgCr(III)g(-1) and 5.6 mgZn(II)g(-1) for algal waste; k(2,ads)=0.01 g mg(-1)Cr(III)min(-1) and 0.18 g mg(-1)Zn(II)min(-1), q(eq)=8.0 mgCr(III)g(-1) and 4.4 mgZn(II)g(-1) for composite material. Biosorption was modelled using a batch adsorber mass transfer kinetic model, which successfully predicts Cr(III) and Zn(II) concentration profiles. The calculated average homogeneous diffusivities, D(h), were 4.2 x 10(-8), 8.3 x 10(-8) and 1.4 x 10(-8)cm(2)s(-1) for Cr(III) and 4.8 x 10(-8), 9.7 x 10(-8) and 6.2 x 10(-8)cm(2)s(-1) for Zn(II), respectively, for Gelidium, algal waste and composite material. The algal waste has the lower intraparticle resistance.