The effectiveness of two styrene/divinyl benzene (SDB) compounds was studied for the removal of Fe(II) and Fe(III) from aqueous solutions. The first one was styrene/divinyl benzene sulfonate (SDB-S), which was commercially supplied and used as an ion-exchange resin. The second one was a terpolymer, styrene/divinyl benzene/allyl methacrylate (SDBAM), which was synthesized from the monomers and used as an adsorbent. Fe(II/III) removal experiments were conducted in columns and in batch reactors. The results indicated that both SDB compounds were effective for both Fe(II) and Fe(III) removal. The ion-exchange capacity of SDB-S was calculated to be 907 mequiv/100 g for Fe(II) and 1100 mequiv/100 g for Fe(III) (which are good quantities). The adsorptive capacity of SDBAM, determined from isotherm calculations, was 79 mequiv/100 g for Fe(II) and 70 mequiv/100 g for Fe(III). This was less than the adsorptive capacity of SDB-S but acceptable in comparison with common adsorbents. The SDB compounds were more selective for Fe(II). (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.