H2 production from water under visible light radiation has great potential for sustainable energy supply. The incorporation of 10 wt Cu onto TiO2 via precipitation method in the presence of glycerol, followed by activation at 180°C and 200°C, was investigated for H2 production from sea water under visible light radiation. The photocatalysts were also characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-Ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectrophotometry (DR-UV-Vis). Results indicated that photocatalyst calcined at 180°C for 30 min displayed the best performance for H2 production (9.1 mL) compared to TiO2 which produced merely 4.4 mL H 2. The bandgap energy of this photocatalyst was lower (3.10 eV) compare to that for TiO2 (3.16 eV). Details of the synthesis procedure, photocatalysts characterization, and photoreaction are presented in this paper. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.