tBio-char, a by-product of almond shell pyrolysis, was used as an alternative adsorbent precursor for theremoval of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorption potential of almond shell bio-charfor Ni(II) and Co(II) removal was investigated. Adsorption experiments were carried out by varying pH,adsorbent dosage, initial metal ion concentrations, contact time and temperature to determine the opti-mum conditions. To describe the equilibrium isotherms the experimental data were analyzed by theLangmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) and Temkin isotherm models. Pseudo-first order,pseudo-second order, and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models were used to find out the kinetic param-eters and mechanism of adsorption process. The thermodynamic parameters such as G◦, H◦and S◦were calculated for predicting the nature of adsorption. The results showed that bio-char derived frompyrolysis of biomass can be used as a low-cost and effective adsorbent for removal of heavy metal ionsfrom aqueous solutions.