Graphene is composed of carbon atoms that forms layers bound together by van der Waals forces, and it has both a high current density and a large specific surface area. The characteristics of graphene also allow it to be subjected to chemical functionalization. Due to these properties, graphene has been applied in a range of fields, including water treatment and electrode materials. We herein report the use of graphene as an adsorbent for the removal of an endocrine disrupting compound, bisphenol A (BPA), from aqueous solutions, through the application of hydrophobic surface properties and high specific surface area of graphene. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared via both a thermal exfoliation method (T-rGO) and a chemical reduction method using hydrazine (H-rGO). We investigated the adsorption characteristics of BPA for both physical and chemical reductions. The prepared rGOs were characterized using TGA, SEM, TEM, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, N-2 adsorption-desorption, elemental analyses, and FTIR spectroscopy. Equilibrium adsorption experiments and kinetic adsorption tests were carried out using the prepared rGOs, and the results were fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms and adsorption kinetic models. T-rGO exhibited at least 2.5 times larger adsorption selectivities toward EPA versus phenol compared to H-rGO in the concentration range studied. In addition, T-rGO displayed an adsorption kinetic constant 200 times larger than that of H-rGO. This value was significantly larger than the adsorption kinetic constants previously reported in the literature. (C) 2015 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.