<p>The presence of toxic elements has raised concern about its effects and the search for new cost-efficient alternatives for its removal, and the use of polysaccharides has stood out for its abundance, properties and low cost. Based on these, this work presents the production of lignin biochar (Bc) for incorporation in cellulose hydrogels obtained from eucalyptus waste. A treatment with biochar was used, which demonstrated the ability to obtain stable biochar with high porosity. Then, cellulose hydrogels were developed employing epichlorohydrin as crosslinking agent loaded with Bc contents of 1, 3 and 5&#xa0;wt%. FTIR, TGA, and XRD analyses revealed no significant structural changes in the hydrogels after the addition of Bc, and the morphology indicated good dispersion and adhesion of the adsorbent material. The hydrogels exhibited good water absorption capacity, and the swelling ratio was greater than 290% for all samples. The evaluation of the adsorption rate of heavy metals by the cellulose-based hydrogel composites presented the following metallic affinity order: Cu²⁺ &gt; Cr⁶⁺ &gt; Cd²⁺ &gt; Zn²⁺ &gt; Ni²⁺ &gt; Mn²⁺. The results show that the obtained materials have potential to promote water decontamination with environmentally friendly characteristics.</p>