Contamination of water by heavy metals is often linked to human, industrial and agricultural activities, and cause health and ecological problems. The objective of this study is to remove water pollutants like Cd2+, Cu2+ and Pb2+ in synthetic solutions by adsorption on clay from Burkina Faso. Electrochemical characterizations revealed that 90 % of heavy metals can be removed. Structural studies evidenced that almost all clay mineral species participate to the removal of heavy metals through different physico-chemical mechanisms namely ion exchange, complexation and precipitation.