In order to greatly improve adsorption capacity, the diatomite was pillared by polyhydroxyl-aluminum. A series of adsorption tests were conducted to obtain the optimum condition for pillared diatomite synthesis. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface area and porosity analyzer and micro-electrophoresis were used to determine pore structure and surface property. The pillared diatomite attaining the optimal adsorption densities (q e) of Pb2+ and Cd2+ was synthesized with the following conditions: Addition of pillaring solution containing A...