This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of p-aminobenzoic modified cellulose (Cell-PAB), as well as the separation and preconcentration of Cd(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) ions from an aqueous medium using a Cell-PAB bath and the column technique. The quantity of p-aminobenzoic groups attached to the cellulose surface, i.e., 1.81±0.04 mmol/g, was determined by elemental analysis. The FT-IR spectra of Cell-PAB revealed characteristic bands of paminobenzoic groups, indicating the desired functionalization of the cellulose surface. The adsorptive capacities for the metals (Ns) Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn (Ns) were, respectively, 1.72 ± 0.02, 1.96 ± 0.02, 1.88 ± 0.04, 2.01 ± 0.03 and 1.93 ± 0.03 mmol/g. Metal separations performed in flow experiments using a column packed with 1 g of Cell-PAB and 5 mL of 1.5 mol/L HCl solution as eluent achieved an almost 100% metal ions recovery rate.