A series of novel toluene-modified hyper-cross-linked poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) resins were synthesized and the adsorption behaviors of the synthesized resins toward phenol were investigated from aqueous solution. Among the synthesized five resins, HJ-L15 possessed the largest adsorption capacity toward phenol. The phenol adsorption onto HJ-L15 is combination of the surface adsorption and the absorption due to skeleton swelling. The molecular form of phenol was favorable for the adsorption. The isotherms could be fitted by Freundlich model and the adsorption was shown to be an exothermic process. The kinetic curves could be characterized by pseudo-second-order rate equation and the intra-particle diffusion was the rate-limiting step at the initial stage. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.