Waste hemp fibers were used as an efficient biosorbent for removal of zinc ions from polluted water. In order to obtain the material with better sorption properties, short hemp fibers were chemically modified. The following factors that may influence the sorption properties of short hemp fibers were examined: fiber structure - characterized by fiber fineness, specific surface area - determined by BET method, and the amount of carboxyl groups - determined by calcium-acetate method. Data obtained from the zinc biosorption experiments were used for development of mathematical model that describes sorption process of zinc ions and structural parameters of short hemp fibers. It was found that chemical modification affects specific surface area a...