In this research, the herbaceous peat collected from Gavurgolu peatlands, one of the biggest Turkish peatlands, was utilized as an adsorbent for the removal of copper (11) ions from aqueous solution. Adsorption experiments were conducted under various conditions, i.e., initial concentration, temperature, and pH. While the amount of Cu (II) adsorbed on the peat increased with increasing concentration of Cu (II) ions, it was not markedly affected by temperature and pH. Percentage removal was higher at lower concentration. For example, the maximum percentage removal of Cu (II) ions for initial concentration of 3 x 10(-4) M was 97.04% at 21 degreesC and pH 5.5. The adsorption capacity (Q(0)) of the peat was 4.84 mg g(-1) from Langmuir adsorption isotherm for the concentration range of 3 x 10(-4)-6 x 10(-4) M at 21 degreesC and pH 5.5. The equilibrium time of adsorption of Cu (II) ions was 150 min and independent of concentration and temperature. The amount of Cu (II) adsorbed at equilibrium time did not considerably change with temperature and pH. It was also determined that adsorption isotherm followed both Freundlich and Langmuir. Uptake mechanism of Cu (II) ions by the peat occurs via cation exchange (especially by means of Ca2+ and Mg2+) as well as copper/peat complexation. Adsorption kinetic was consistent with the pseudo-second-order model. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.