Poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) functionalization of rice husk-based activated carbon was prepared and its application in the removal of copper ions was investigated. The structural properties of the resulting composite material were characterized by means of N-2 adsorption/desorption, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The obtained composite is observed to hold a relatively large pore diameter of 3.8 nm and high surface area of 789 m(2) g(-1) with 12 wt% of PDMAEMA coated. which is significant for its use as adsorbent. The ability of the composite material for removing Cu2+ from aqueous solution was studied by batch experiments. The adsorption data obeyed the Langmuir isotherms, which revealed that 1 g of the prepared material could adsorb 31.46 mg of Cu2+ from its aqueous solution. The PDMAEMA functionalized activated carbon is expected to be used as an efficient adsorbent for removing other heavy metal ions and dyes in water. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.