The current study reports a potential process to selectively separate and preconcentrate tartaric acid from its simulated industrial effluent. It was achieved by sorption onto a tailored polymeric ligand exchanger. The polymeric ligand exchanger is essentially a copper(II)-bound specialty chelating polymer (denoted D-Cu). Effect of solution pH and competing sulfate on tartaric acid sorption onto D-Cu was also included in the study. Compared to a weakly basic anion exchanger D-301, D-Cu exhibits more favorable sorption of tartaric acid from aqueous media coexisting with Na2SO4 at a high level. The exhausted D-Cu was amenable to an entire regeneration by the diluted NaCl solution. Results of column sorption tests further demonstrated the feasibility of D-Cu for selective separation and preconcentration of tartaric acid from the simulated wastewater for its further recovery. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.