The technology to manufacture rigid, highly porous materials of very low density that are suitable for use in a wide range of industrial applications has recently been developed in this laboratory. These materials, derived from naturally occurring polymers, have many useful physical characteristics including very large pore volume, pore size distribution in a useful range, and high surface area. These characteristicsw, hen combinedw ith their robust mechanicals trength, make them potentially useful as support matrices for various complexing agents. One demonstrated application of this material is as a polymeric carrierfo r selective liquid metal extractants in hydrometallurgicalp rocesses. We have successfully impregnated our porous matrix with several selective metal extractants, and demonstrated retention of the basic metal binding properties of the immobilized agent. Results of bench scale pilot studies using a copper selective impregnated resin indicate excellent capacity, and good selectivity and extraction/elution kinetics.