In the investigations three polystyrene divinylbenzene ion exchangers with different degrees of basicity of the functional groups for removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions were used. The experiments were conducted in the multicomponent systems in the presence of the complexing agent - ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) and the accompanying ions (Cl-, NO3- and SO42-). Their related absorption behaviors such as thermodynamic equilibrium, pH effect and the Langmuir and Freundlich models to evaluate the experimental data are discussed in this paper. As shown for the ion exchanger Lewatit MonoPlus M 800 the values of monolayer capacity in the multicomponent system including Cr(VI), Cu(II), Zn(II) and EDDS are 111.11 mg/g, 120.48 mg/g and 116.28 mg/g for Cr(VI), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions, respectively. With respect to the parameters K-L and q(o) the studied elements can be ordered Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Cr(VI). According to the results, this resin can be a promising reagent for disposal of industrial wastes. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.