Cation-exchange adsorbent based on polypropylene nonwoven fabric carrying sulfonate functional groups was synthesized by radiation-induced graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) with subsequent chemical modification of the epoxy groups of poly-GMA graft chains with sodium hydrogensulfite in water-dimethylformamide solution at 70 degreesC. The effect of various polymerization parameters on the GMA grafting degree as well as experimental conditions for the effective incorporation of sulfonate groups were investigated. The conversion of the epoxy groups into the functional groups was investigated as a function of the degree of GMA grafting. The ion-exchange characteristics of the resultant cation-exchange adsorbent were determined. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.