This work aimed to develop waste (i.e., sulfonated lignin) application in simulated wastewater treatment. Sulfonated lignin (LS), a byproduct of the paper industry, was intercalated into a parent host of layered double hydroxides (LDH) by swelling-restacking method. X-ray diffraction patterns of the composite confirmed that long-chain LS anions exited in the interlayer of Mg(2)AI-LDH in two forms: (1) a "flat" form with d(003) = 0.88 nm; and (2) a "vertical" form with d(003) = 9.08 nm. Results showed that the obtained Mg(2)AI-LS-LDH composite was highly selective and efficient for the removal of Pb2+ and Cu2+, especially Pb2+, compared with the NO3-LDH precursor. The coexisting cations decreased the removal efficiency of Pb2+ or Cu2+ on Mg(2)AI-LS-LDH composite, which could be ascribed to outer-sphere sorption style, and the effect order of cations is Li+ > Ca2+ > K+> Nat. The pseudo-second-order model appropriately described the sorption kinetics of Mg(2)AI-LS-LDH composite for Pb2+ and Cu2+. Sorption isotherms for Pb2+ and Cu2+ by the Mg(2)AI-LS-LDH composite were found to be more satisfactorily fitted by the Langmuir model than by the Freundlich one. With increased Pb2+ or Cu2+ concentration from 2 ppm to 200 ppm, the maximum absorption capacity of the composite toward Pb2+ was similar to 123 mg/g and that toward Cu2+ was similar to 64 mg/g. Therefore, a new, low-cost adsorbent was synthesized by utilizing the byproduct LS, which may be a potential remedy for Pb2+ or Cu2+ in contaminated water. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.