Granular fir-based activated carbon (GFAC) was modified with H2O2, and orthogonal array experimental design method was used to optimize the process. The properties of the original and modified GFAC were characterized by N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) equation, Barett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) equation, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, etc. When 10.00 g of GFAC with particle size of 0.25-0.85 mm was modified by 150.0 ml of aqueous H2O2 solution, the optimized conditions were found to be as follows: aqueous H2O2 solution concentration 1.0 mol.l(-1), modification temperature 30.0 degrees C, modification time 4.0 h. Modified under the optimized conditions, decolonization of caramel, methylene blue adsorption, phenol adsorption and iodine number of the modified GFAC increased by 500.0%, 59.7%, 32.5%, and 15.1%, respectively. The original and optimally modified GFAC exhibited adsorption isotherms of hybrid Type I-IV isotherms with H4 hysteresis. BET surface area, micropore area, total pore volume, micropore volume, and microporosity of the modified GFAC increased by 7.33%, 11.25%, 3.89%, 14.23%, 9.91%, respectively. Whereas the average pore width decreased by 3.16%. In addition, the amount of surface oxygen groups (such as carbonyl or carboxyl) increased in the modified GFAC. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.