A monolithic biomass adsorbent, rice husk grafted poly (methyl acrylic acid) (RH-g-PMAA), was successfully synthesized via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) through heterogeneous reactions in aqueous phase. Its adsorption capacity for Ce3+ reaches 122.51 mg g(-1), which is about 12 times higher than that of raw rice husk. The experimental result on desorption and reusability shows that the adsorption capacity is still higher than 100 mg g(-1) after six cycles and the desorption rate is almost 100% in every cycle. RH-g-PMAA can be separated from water easily because of its integrity. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.