The adsorption effectiveness of bamboo powder charcoal (BPC); made from the residual of Moso bamboo manufacturing; in removing nitrate-nitrogen from water has been investigated. Commercial activated carbon (CAC) was also used to compare the effectiveness of adsorption in removal of nitrate-nitrogen. The adsorption effectiveness of BPC was higher than that of CAC; regardless of the concentration of nitrate-nitrogen; in the range of 0-10 mg/l. The effect of temperature on adsorption by BPC and CAC in the range of 10-20 degreesC was also investigated. From the results, it was found that the temperature dependency of the adsorption effectiveness of BPC was weaker than that of CAC. This fact indicates that BPC can be an attractive option for the in situ treatment by adsorption of nitrate-nitrogen-contaminated underground and surface water. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.