The mechanism of Cu(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions sorption from aqueous solutions by macroporous poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (PGME) functionalized by reaction of the pendant epoxy groups with diethylene triamine (PGME-deta) was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) were used for the determination of surface morphology of the copolymer particles. The sorption behavior of heavy metals Cu(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions sorption was investigated in batch static experiments under non-competitive conditions at room temperature (298 K). The obtained results were fitted to pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion kinetic model. The kinetics studies showed that Cu(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) sorption obeys the pseudo-second-order model under all investigated operating conditions with evident influence of pore diffusion. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.