This work addresses the adsorption of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and trichloroethene (TCE) from aqueous solutions on activated carbon. Results from both equilibrium and fixed-bed adsorption studies in aqueous solutions are given. For TCE, the sorbent is saturated for liquid concentrations near its solubility, which can be explained in terms of a pore volume filling mechanism. MEK adsorbs less than TCE for the same liquid concentration. A specific adsorption mechanism onto basic surface groups seems more plausible for this solute, which explains the plateau of the adsorbed concentration observed at liquid concentrations much lower than its solubility. The fixed-bed adsorption dynamics of both solutes can be described with the pore diffusion model, considering external mass transfer and internal diffusion inside the activated carbon. The thermal regeneration of the activated carbon loaded with MEK by passing a purging gas through the bed (nitrogen and air) is also studied. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.