In this study, activated carbon (AC) was prepared from teff grass straw via chemical activation and microwave-assisted pyrolysis. The AC was modified by magnetization followed by it was characterized by particle size, FTIR, XRD, thermogravimetric study, pore size, and magnetic properties. Further, it was evaluated for its adsorptive removal performance of lead (II) ions from aqueous solution. A statistical model was developed by response surface method (RSM) and the crucial parameters, concentration of initial Pb(II), biosorbent loading, solution pH, and contact time were optimized for maximizing the adsorption of Pb(II) ions. The optimal values were 95.36 mg/L, 0.656 g/100 mL, 5.5, and 88.7 min, respectively for aforementioned parameters. Under the optimal condition, the Langmuir isotherm exhibited the most accurate correspondence with the obtained experimental data. The findings from the kinetic analysis were found to be statistically fit to the pseudo-2nd order model.