The wide industrial use of cadmium, one of the most hazardous toxic metals, leads inevitably to an increased contamination of effluents. In this study, Cd(II) removal by bioinspired thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica has been carried out. SBA-15 mesoporous silica with a high specific surface area (>900 m2 g-1) has been synthesized, and furthermore, 0.3 mmol g-1 glutathione has been successfully grafted (SBA-GSH). The obtained material was able to capture Cd(II). Optimum Cd(II) adsorption parameters as a function of the pH, contact time, and initial Cd(II) concentration have been studied. An S-shaped isotherm and further Fourier-transform infrared characterization suggest a multi-site adsorption involving thiol and carboxylic groups, with an adsorption capacity of 1.04 mmol g-1 that makes the SBA-GSH material a promising candidate for cadmium removal. Reusability studies have been performed in three cycles, and 90% of the adsorbed Cd(II) has been recovered using 0.01 M HNO3. © 2022 American Chemical Society.