Alkali metal (potassium and lithium) titanates were synthesized and employed for the efficient removal of Cd(II) ions from aqueous solutions using the radiotracer technique. The possible mechanism involved at the solid/solution interface was deduced with the help of various physico–chemical data, i.e. effect of adsorptive concentration temperature and pH. The effect of added cations and H + (HCl/H 2SO 4) in the uptake process was also seen. The radiation stability of these materials in the adsorption process was assessed by employing a 11.1 GBq (Ra–Be) neutron source having an integral neutron flux of 3.85×10 6 n·cm −2 s −1 and associated with a nominal γ-dose of ca. 1.72 Gy/h.