In this paper, Cadmium and Zinc removal from soil by phytoremediation was investigated. The experiments were carried out with two types of plants, Brassica napus and Triticales sp. Response surface modeling and optimization of Cd and Zn removal rate was performed for each type of plant under controlled conditions, i.e. as a function of Cd concentration, Zn concentration and pH. Although the maximum heavy metal uptake (i.e. 2.4 % Cd removal rate and 1.80 % Zn removal rate, respectively) was obtained for Brassica napus at low heavy metal concentration (i.e. below alert limits) and pH of about 8.2, Triticales sp. appears to be more efficient at higher heavy metal concentration (i.e. above alerts limits) and neutral-slightly alkaline pH. The results of this study
indicates that Brassica napus is more suitable for phytoremediation of soils light polluted with Cd and Zn, while Triticales sp. could be more suitable for phytoremediation of Cd and Zn rich-polluted soil.