This article evaluates the use of red mud waste material in the remediation of polluted heavy metal water to remove copper ions. For studying metal adsorption, 1 g of red mud has been taken as adsorbent and then it has been suspended in 50 mL of 3 mM Cu(NO3)(2), at pH between 3 and 11 and contacted batchwise in a thermostatic (t = 30 degrees C +/- 0.1 degrees C) water-bath agitator for 1 h to enable equilibration of the sorbent and solution phases. The copper concentrations in the samples taken from the red mud treated aqueous solutions of polluted river water and Cu(NO3)(2) solution have been determined by spectrophotometric method using 1-amino-2-hydroxy-4-naphthalenesulfonic acid. The experimental investigation results show that activated red mud has a high level of adsorption capacity for Cu2+ ion. Consequently, it is concluded that the red mud can be successfully used for the removal of the copper ions from the aqueous solutions with heavy metals. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.