In this work the adsorption of phenol solutions onto activated carbon Calgon F400 has been studied. The carbon was modified by acid treatment, using soxhlet extraction with hydrochloric acid 2N for 120 cycles. The treatment did not affect significantly the surface area of the activated carbon but affected significatively the different functional groups, and thus its adsorption properties. T6th model reproduced satisfactorily the experimental isotherm data and an adsorption enthalpy of -17.9 kJ mol(-1) was found, which indicates that the process is exothermic. The pH affected significatively to the adsorption process and an empirical polynomial equation was able to reproduce maximum capacity as a function of pH. The isotherms obtained at pH 3 and 7 are very similar and showed a higher adsorption capacity compared with that obtained at pH 13. The use of phosphate buffer solutions decreased the maximum phenol adsorption capacity, due to the competitive adsorption between the phenol and phosphates. Finally, it was demonstrated that the acid treatment introduced chloride ions into the carbon, giving it properties of ion exchanger. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.