This work reports a direct way to recover metallic palladium with high purity from Pd(II)-sorbed polyethylenimine-modified Colynebacterium glutamicum biosorbent using a combined method of biosorption and incineration. This study is focused on the incineration part which affects the purity of recovered Pd. The incineration temperature and the amount of Pd loaded on the biosorbent were considered as major factors in the incineration process, and their effects were examined. The results showed that both factors significantly affected the enhancement of the recovery efficiency and purity of the recovered Pd. SEM-EDX and XRD analyses were used to confirm that Pd phase existed in the ash. As a result, the recovered Pd was changed from PdO to zero-valent Pd as the incineration temperature was increased from 600 to 900 degrees C. Almost 100% pure metallic Pd was recovered with recovery efficiency above 99.0% under the conditions of 900 degrees C and 136.9 mg/g. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.