Two chemically modified starch derivatives, crosslinked amino starch (CAS) and dithiocarbamates modified starch (DTCS), were prepared and used for the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions. CAS was found to be effective for the adsorption of Cu(II), which tended to form a stable amine complex. Adsorption of Cu(II) onto DTCS was higher than that onto CAS. Experiments showed that the adsorption processes of Cu(II) on both CAS and DTCS were endothermic, and followed Freundlich isothermal adsorption. For both adsorbents, dynamic modeling of their adsorption showed that the first-order reversible kinetic model described the adsorption process. The adsorption rate constants of CAS and DTCS were 1.578 and 10.32 h(-1), respectively. From the results of the thermodynamic analysis, free energy DeltaG, enthalpy DeltaH, and entropy DeltaS of the adsorption process were calculated. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.