An investigation was conducted on the adsorption and desorption of copper(II) from aqueous solutions with a new spherical cellulose adsorbent containing the carboxyl anionic group. Various factors affecting the adsorption were optimized. The adsorption of Cu2+ ions on the adsorbent was found to be dependent on the initial time and pH, the concentration, and the temperature. The adsorption process follows both Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms and was found to be endothermic (DeltaH = 23.99 kJ/mol). The Cu2+ ions adsorbed on the adsorbent can be recovered with a NaOH or HCl aqueous solution. The maximum percentage of recovery is about 100% when 2.4 mol/L HCl solution is used. In addition, only 7.2% of the adsorption capacity is lost after 30 replications of the adsorption and desorption.