Two macroporous crosslinked poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) resins functionalized with methoxy and phenoxy groups, PVBME and PVBPE were prepared and their adsorption characteristics for phenol were studied in hexane as well as in aqueous solution. It was shown that the equilibrium adsorption capacity of phenol onto PVBPE was a little larger than that onto PVBME at the same temperature and equilibrium concentration. The adsorption onto PVBME in hexame can be correlated to Langmuir isotherm model, whereas the semi-empirical Freundlich isotherm model characterized the adsorption onto PVBPE better. The adsorption thermodynamic parameters were calculated and it was found that the adsorption enthalpy, adsorption free energy, and adsorption entropy were all negative, and the adsorption thermodynamic parameters onto PVBPE were more negative than the corresponding ones onto PVBME. The relationship of the adsorption capacity with the equilibrium concentration was linear in aqueous solution. The adsorption was hypersensitive to the solution pH in aqueous solution, and the optimum pH was determined to be 6.0. The adsorption dynamics of phenol onto PVBPE in aqueous solution was investigated and it was seen that the adsorption can be well fitted by the pseudo-first-order rate equation. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.