A novel one-step hydrothermal synthesis of 11 angstrom tobermorite, a cation exchanger, from a unique combination of waste materials is reported. 11 angstrom tobermorite was prepared from stoicheiometric quantities of cement bypass dust and waste container glass at 100 degrees C in water. The product also comprised 10 wt.% calcite and trace quartz as residual parent phases from the cement bypass dust. In a batch sorption study at 20 degrees C the uptakes of Cd(2+) and Pb(2+) by the waste-derived tobermorite product were found to be 171 mg g(-1) and 467 mg g(-1), respectively, and in both cases the removal process could be described using a simple pseudo-second-order rate model (k(2)=2.30x10(-5) g mg(-1) min(-1) and 5.09x 10(-5)g mg(-1) min(-1), respectively). The sorption characteristics of the 11 angstrom tobermorite are compared with those of other waste-derived sorbents and potential applications are discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.