<p>New eco-friendly composite sorbents have been fabricated using agricultural plant waste materials, namely rice bran and rice straw, as raw materials. The efficacy of these sorbents in the removal of copper (Cu(II)) ions from aqueous media was demonstrated. Material characterization was conducted by EDX, SEM, XRD, and FTIR methods in order to gain insight into the material composition, morphology, and structure, with the aim of understanding how these factors influence the binding process during the capture of Cu(II) ions. The effects of varying the solid‒liquid ratio, reaction time, and initial Cu(II) concentration were systematically measured. The kinetic profile accurately conformed to the Elovich exponential and pseudo-second-order rate equations. The Langmuir and Redlich‒Peterson models were used to validate the adsorption isotherms. The complex analysis of kinetic data, sorption isotherms, and zero charge point values permitted the calculation of the thermodynamic parameters of the sorption process, determination of the value of the activation energy, which was equal to 2.81&#xa0;kJ/mol, and establishment of the mechanism of copper(II) sorption, which occurred primarily due to physical sorption rather than chemical binding. The application of inositol phosphate resulted in a notable increase in both the initial sorption rate and removal capacity. The limiting sorption capacity was found to be 212&#xa0;mg/g. Therefore, the designed sorbents can be produced within the framework of agricultural waste utilization by low-cost and technologically simple synthesis using harmless available components. They are promising for environmental applications involving the purification of groundwaters and wastewaters from Cu(II) ions.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>