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A new type of synthesis route for the preparation of conducting chelating polymer composites (CCPCs) based on waste polystyrene grafted with acrylic (AA) and maleic (MA) acids in the presence of montmorillonite clay was investigated. The prepared composites were characterized using various techniques including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, light microscopy and x-ray diffraction analysis. The prepared composites of different AA and MA weight percentage (wt%) have been used as adsorbents for removal of toxic copper ions from their aqueous solutions. The copper uptake by the CCPC grafted with AA was found to be much higher than that of the CCPCs grafted with MA. The key parameters that can affect copper ion uptake such as time and pH were also investigated, and it was found that the increase in pH highly enhanced the copper uptake. The study was further extended to measure the alternating current (AC) conductivities of the prepared composites and their copper complexes which proved that the AC conductivities of the copper-free composites are higher than the AC conductivities of the composites complexed with copper ions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]