OICC Press International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering 2251-6832 3 1 (December 2012) 2012 11 05 Adsorption of catechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, and their derivatives: a review 10.1186/2251-6832-3-32 EN Sundaramurthy Suresh Department of Chemical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology Bhopal, Bhopal, 462 051, IN Vimal Chandra Srivastava Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247 667, IN Indra Mani Mishra Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247 667, IN Journal Article 2012 11 05 Abstract In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in finding innovative solutions for the efficient removal of contaminants from water, soil, and air. The present study reviews the adsorptive removal of catechol (C), resorcinol (R), hydroquinone (HQ), and their derivatives from various adsorbents. As an effective, efficient, and economic approach for water purification, adsorbents and adsorption processes have been widely studied and applied in different aspects for a long time. The role of various adsorbent materials like activated carbon, activated carbon cloth, carbon nanotubes, polymeric resins, organic clays, Fe(OH) 2 , and TiO 2 was discussed together with that of other experimental parameters. In all the synthetic resins, particularly, aminated hypercrosslinked polymers have good adsorption capability for phenols. These polymeric adsorbents are suitable for industrial effluents containing C, R, HQ, and their derivatives. The adsorption capacities of the adsorbents reviewed here vary significantly depending on the characteristics of the individual adsorbent, the extent of chemical modifications, and the concentrations of solutes.