<p>This study explored the removal of Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions from wastewater using a cost-effective, reusable, and eco-friendly xanthan-gum xanthate (XGmX)-grafted acrylic acid and acrylamide hydrogel [XGmX-g-poly(AA-co-AAm)] as an adsorbent. The hydrogel was synthesized via free-radical polymerization method<b>.</b> The swelling ratios of the hydrogel were 453.2, 417.2, and 350.9 g/g in distilled water, tap water, and grey wastewater, respectively. The water retention percentages were 75.82%, 70.14%, and 67.47% in grey, tap, and distilled water. Under optimized conditions, the hydrogel exhibited removal efficiencies of 98.5 (± 1.2)%, 96.1 (± 1.5)%, and 94.2 (± 1.2)% for Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions<b>,</b> respectively. Isotherm studies indicated that the Langmuir model provided the best fit for the adsorption data, suggesting a monolayer adsorption process<b>.</b> The maximum adsorption capacities were 492.61 (± 20.5), 465.11 (± 23.1), and 462.96 (± 37.6) mg/g for Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions<b>,</b> respectively. The adsorption mechanism followed pseudo-second-order kinetics, indicating chemisorption. The rate constants were 3.6 × 10⁻⁴ (± 0.998), 2.9 × 10⁻⁴ (± 0.997), and 2.7 × 10⁻⁴ (± 0.994) g/mg·min for Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions. Additionally, the hydrogel demonstrated excellent reusability over five cycles, retaining 71.8%, 70.5%, and 68.9% removal efficiency for Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions in the fifth cycle. Overall, the synthesized hydrogel exhibits high adsorption capacity, good reusability, and cost-effectiveness, making it a promising material for the remediation of wastewater containing heavy metal ions.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>