Abstract: Sawdust cellulose xanthate was prepared from sawdust of the wood machining industry, and the processing parameters were optimized. The effects of the dosage of sawdust cellulose xanthate, reactive time, pH value, temperature on the removal of heavy metal ions in wastewater were investigated. The mechanism of removing heavy metal ions and the stability of sawdust cellulose xanthate were also discussed. The removing rates of heavy metals Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺ by sawdust cellulose xanthate were above 98%, and the mass concentrations of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺ in the treated wastewater were lower than those in the national standard.