A nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon has been synthesized employing egg white as a sustainable protein-rich precursor. According to GINS elemental analysis, N, S and O heteroatoms accounted for mass fractions of 3.66%. 228% and 1929% respectively, and the types of surface functionalities were further characterized by Ff-IR and XPS measurements. Although the carbon possessed a smaller surface area (815 m(2).g(-1)) compared to a commercial activated carbon (1100 m(2). g(-1)), its adsorption capacity towards Co2+ reached 320.3 mg.g(-1), which was over 8 times higher compared to the limited 34.0 mg.g(-1) over the activate carbon. Furthermore, the carbon was found to be an efficient adsorbent towards a series of metal ions induding VO2+,Cr3+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+. Combined with its environmental merits, the protein derived carbon may be a promising candidate for heavy metal pollution control. (C) 2018 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.