In this study, a novel macroporous amination resin (named as GMDA) with the matrix of divinylbenzene and glycidyl methacrylate was synthesized and utilized to remove 8-amino-1-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid (H-acid) from water. The adsorption behaviors of the synthetic resin were studied systematically and compared with three commercial resins (the hypercrosslinked resin NDA-88, the anion-exchange resin D-301, and the macroporous resin XAD-4) in terms of adsorption capacity, equilibrium time, isotherm adsorption, the effect of existing inorganic ions and regeneration properties. The characteristic methods of BET surface area, pore size distribution, SEM, FTIR, XPS and Zeta potential were investigated to analyze the resins and adsorption process. The GMDA resin has wider pore diameter than the NDA-88 resin to attract H-acid more quickly with higher adsorption amounts; the larger BET surface area of the GMDA resin ensures more binding sites than the D-301 resin in the adsorption process; the functional groups on the surface of the GMDA resin is more effective than the hydrophobic matrix of the resin XAD-4 in the removal of H-acid. Especially, the regeneration and dynamic experiments indicate the anti-fouling performance of GMDA resin is much better than the others. This research not only provides guidance for understanding the adsorption mechanism of H-acid onto the four resins, but also gives theoretical basis for the design of resin structure according to the targeted contaminants. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.