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The present work reports the feasibility of using sugar-beet pectin gels for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. Sugar-beet pectin hydro- and xerogels were tested in the batch biosorption and desorption of cadmium, lead and copper. Pectins were successfully extracted and demethylated from the sugar-beet pulp, an agricultural residue, and gelled in the presence of CaCl₂. The stability of the hydro- and xerogel pectin beads made them suitable for biosorption of heavy metals in different conditions. Biosorption data were fitted to the pseudo-second order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model, obtaining the corresponding parameters. Treated and untreated beads were characterized using FTIR and SEM to determine possible binding mechanisms. The main mechanisms involved were ion exchange with calcium of gel structure and chelation or complexation with carboxyl groups. After …