In this research, a continuous multistage ion foam fractionation column with bubble-cap trays was employed to remove cadmium ions from simulated wastewater having cadmium ions at a low level (10 mg/L). In this study, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used to generate the foam. An increase in feed SDS/Cd molar ratio enhanced the removal of Cd. However, the SDS concentration above a certain level resulted in wetter foams, leading to having a high volume of generated foam that lowered both the enrichment ratio and separation factor of the Cd. The SDS recovery tended to increase with increasing feed SDS/Cd molar ratio. The molar ratio of SDS/Cd in foamate was found to be close to the theoretical adsorption molar ratio of 2/1 on the air-water interface of foam when the system was operated at a feed SDS/Cd molar ratio in the range of 2/1-7/1. Ion foam fractionation has been demonstrated in this study to be a promising technique for high heavy metal removal (more than 99%) for a feed having a low heavy metal concentration in the ppm (mg/L) level. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.