An effective adsorbent for arsenic removal was synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of waste glass powder (GP), followed by loading Fe(III) oxyhydroxide onto the surface of waste glass powder. The ≡ Si-O-H group was formed on the surface of GP and the specific surface area of GP powder was slightly increased after hydrothermal treatment. FeOOH was loaded onto the surface of hydrothermally treated waste glass powder (HGP) by the hydrolysis of FeCl. The formation conditions of FeOOH were also investigated. The ability of this new adsorbent for arsenic (As(V)) removal was evaluated. The results indicated that the highest removal efficiency was about 97% for 1 mg/L As(V) solution at pH 6 and keeping time 2 h. © 2009 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.