In presence of the attapulgite, the absorbent carboxymethyl cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid)/acrylamide /attapulgite (CMC-g-PAA/AM/ATP) was synthesized by solution grafting copolymerization of carboxymethyl cellulose, acrylic acid and acrylic amide with ammonim peroxodisulphate as an initiator and MBA as crosslink agent. CMC-g-PAA/AM/ATP was applied in the Cd(II) adsorption from aqueous solution. The influences of pH, initial Cd(II) concentration, reaction time, temperature and dosage on the adsorption were investigated. The adsorption capacity reached a high level when pH was in the range of 4.0-8.0. The reaction reached equilibrium within 40 min and the adsorption kinetics was better described by pseudo-second order equation. The reaction was an exothermic process. The as-prepared and Cd-loaded CMC-g-PAA/AM/ATP were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to identify the structure of the adsorbents, and verify the removal mechanisms. CMC-g-PAA/AM/ATP proved to be a promising candidate for the fast removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution. The Cd(II) removal mechanisms by CMC-g-PAA/AM/ATP include electrostatic interaction, chelation and ion exchange.