In this paper, graft copolymer of starch-acrylamid-propylene hydroxamic acid was synthesized by inverse emulsion polymerization. Effects of the dosage of the graft copolymer, pH value and reaction time on the capability of trapping heavy metal ion Pb2+ were investigated. The results showed that the optimum conditions for treating lead-containing wastewater were: pH=7-9, reaction time≧30min , the dosage of polymeric ferric sulfate and graft copolymer in wastewater were 10mg·L-1 and 250-300mg·L-1, respectively. The Pb2+ removal rate is not less than 99.8% and meanwhile the copolymer possess good removal performance of turbidity.