Preparation and characterization of a low-cost, novel steam-activated bamboo charcoal (BC) and poly(methacrylate) (PMAA) bound with chitosan (CTS) to form chitosan/bamboo charcoal/poly(methacrylate) (CTS/BC/PMAA) composite beads is reported for the first time in this paper. The characteristics are revealed by techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), solution pH and pH at pointof zero charge (pH$_{\rm pzc}$). The composite beads possessed a dominant acidic surface group of 0.663 mmol g$^{−1}$, as revealed by Boehm titration method. This acidity was confirmed by its solution pH of 6.46; pH$_{\rm pzc}$ of 6.70 and increase in oxygen surface via XPS analysis. N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms at 77 K of the beads revealed high BET surface area (SA) of 681.15 m$^2$ g$^{−1}$. Langmuir model affords a SA of 773.34 m$^{2}$ g$^{−1}$. SEM showed the microporous nature of the composite beads. The properties of CTS/BC/PMAA composite beads were compared to CTS/BC and neat BC. Thermal stability and successful coating of 5.1 wt% of PMAA and 6.8 wt% of CTS to CTS/BC/PMAA beads were shown by DSC and TGAanalyses. The composite beads showed low carbon particle released at pH 7.4 and 6.8. Furthermore, dynamic adsorptionrevealed that CTS/BC/PMAA composite beads can be used to capture a polar substance, such as creatinine.