Water, a blessing for human beings and guarantees the existence of all species present on this planet. However, its scarcity and pollution disrupts the health security of millions of people every year. Consequently, it needs utmost attention and precautions to make it clean, clear and hygienic. Similarly, under the current energy and economic scenario, it is also difficult to find new ways to efficiently use the significant amount of biomass produced annually. Therefore, in this study, a chemical reduction method was used for preparation of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs). Synthesized nanoparticles were successfully incorporated onto bagasse and rice husk and employed for removal of bacteria (E. coli) from synthetic water. The morphological characteristics and size distribution of CuNPs were examined through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to identify the presence of functional groups of substrate materials before and after incorporation of CuNPs. Whereas, concentration of copper in prepared materials was determined through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Various factors were investigated to maximize bacteria removal, including material dose, contact time and pH. The results showed that the optimal conditions for removing bacteria from water were a material dose of 2.0 g, a contact time of 100�120 min, and a pH range of 5�9. Bacterial removal efficiency of CuNPs incorporated rice husk was measured 100, higher than 95 achieved by using CuNPs incorporated bagasse. The quality of treated water was evaluated for copper contents and was found to be within the permissible limit set by Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority. Derived materials were quite efficient and stable and no significant difference in antibacterial properties was observed over a period of 5 weeks. Consequently, the formation of such materials is considered environmentally friendly, economical and highly applicable. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.