In this work, sawdust, which is low cost and produced abundantly from wood industry, was tested as a precursor for the production of porous carbons in a chemical scheme using H3PO4. From synthesis parameters studied, F21 activated carbon with the largest surface area, total pore volume and diameter was obtained when sawdust is impregnated with ratio of 1:1 and treated with activation temperature of 500 °C for a period of 60 minutes. Through nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm analysis, existence of mesopores was proven when a combination of Type-I and Type-II isotherms were exhibited by the activated carbon produced. The results from adsorption test showed that under the effect of initial concentration, the optimum sample is capable of removing 96.8 of MEA at low concentration of 100 ppm, while under the effect of stirring rate, 99.7 of MEA is removed at highest stirring rate at 400 rpm. Finally under the effect of contact time, 99.7 of MEA removal is achieved at time of 45 minutes. The obtained results show that agriculture waste product from sawdust can be effectively used as an adsorption material in MEA wastewater treatment. © 2018, Malaysian Society of Analytical Sciences. All rights reserved.