A novel polymeric superabsorbing composite was prepared using the graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AANa, 70% neutralization with NaOH) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) onto the hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) [HEC-g-P(AANa-co-AMPS)], which was initiated by means of a glow-discharge electrolysis plasma rather than a chemical initiator. The composite material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). We obtained absorbencies of 2490 g g-1 for distilled water and of 109 g g-1 for 0.9 wt% NaCl solution. Results show that the maximum adsorption capacities for Ni(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), and Hg(II) from aqueous solution were 974.84, 975.43, 1535.52, 1970.47, and 1879.53 mg g-1, respectively. The adsorption isotherm followed the Langmuir isotherm model very well. Adsorption kinetics results indicate that the fast adsorption rate followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics equations. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. (C) 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers