Samples of a coal-based activated carbon, Chemviron F400, were oxidized by nitric acid and air to enhance their metal sorption capacity. Acid oxidized samples were either alkali washed or heated under vacuum to remove organic by-products formed during oxidation. Mini-column breakthrough experiments were conducted to determine the sorption performance of the samples for Cu, Ni, Zn and Cd uptake. The kinetic performance of these samples was assessed. Ion exchange performance of activated carbon samples was significantly enhanced on oxidation. Copper uptake capacity of a 24 h acid oxidized sample was increased by a factor of 60 compared to the unoxidized as-received material. Subsequent treatments reduced the metal uptake capacity of the oxidized carbons indicating that by-products produced during oxidation had metal binding ability. The metal sorbed samples were regenerated using 0.1 M HCl solution.