The growing demand for cost-effective clean water solutions has resulted in increased interests in advanced adsorbent materials capable of remediating a wide variety of pollutants. The work presented here focuses on the development of two spherical cellulosic nanoporous materials utilizing different copper-based particles. The copper-based Metal-Organic Framework, MOF-199 (HKUST-1), was incorporated into a cellulose acetate slurry and polymerized into nanoporous beads. The MOF-cellulose beads exhibit an increased number of binding sites that allow for adsorption driven primarily through intraparticle diffusion. Additionally, the MOF-199 framework within the beads acts as a template for post-synthetic modification, which yields a novel nanoporous material containing reduced copper particles capable of enhanced dye remediation. Incorporation of the MOF and reduced copper have been validated by microscopic imaging of the surface and characterized using infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The presence of copper in both materials allows for a “self-cleaning material” capable of inhibiting the growth of the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. Further post-synthetic modifications to both the polymer and MOF-199 framework allow for the potential to create advanced adsorbent materials capable of remediating a broader range of pollutants including organic compounds and toxic metal ions.