Xanthate functionalized PAMAM dendrimer (XFPD) chelating ligand, first of its kind, has been synthesized from hydroxyl terminated poly(amido)amine dendrimer. Studies on performance of XFPD in removal of Cu2+ and Eu3+ metal ions were carried out from aqueous solution. Investigation on quantitative removal of Cu2+ and Eu3+ metal ions at various pH revealed that XFPD effectively precipitates the metal ions at pH > 4 with settling time of about 3 h. In case of Cu-XFPD complex at pH > 6, settling requires the addition of coagulating agent like aluminium sulphate. The loading capacity of XFPD for Cu2+ and Eu3+ metal ions was estimated to be 0.48 and 0.95 g g-1, respectively. The XFPD chelating ligand deployed for treatment of radioactive liquid waste (RLW) showed that percentage removal of radionuclides were in the following order; 95Zr ≈ 154Eu ≈ 60Co (>99.8) > 144Ce (98.8) > 125Sb (83.3) > 106Ru (79.4) > 55Mn (54.3) > 137Cs (24.0). It has been demonstrated that XFPD chelating ligand has potential application in effective removal of various radionuclides from aqueous waste. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.