Graphite modified with gallic acid to form 'gallic acid-carbon' is demonstrated to be efficient for the removal of bismuth(III) ions from aqueous solutions. The uptake is demonstrated to be rapid but not to follow standard adsorption isotherm models. Instead, the uptake was found to be further promoted by the presence of the adsorbed metal. Additionally, the bismuth uptake showed linear dependence on the square of its concentration suggesting the possible formation of polymeric bismuth species. The gallic acid-carbon shows great promise as a relatively inexpensive material for solid-phase extraction and water purification with extraction efficiency close to 98%.