Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were grown in porous carbon beads (similar to 0.5 mm) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The beads were prepared by the carbonization and activation of Ni- or Fe-doped phenolic beads produced by suspension polymerization, with the metals incorporated in situ during a polymerization step. The carbon beads decorated with Ni- or Fe-CNFs were tested as adsorbents for the removal of different pollutants in the aqueous phase. The prepared material showed superior performance relative to the parent metal-doped porous carbon beads without CNFs. The loadings of vitamin B12 (vit B12) on Ni-CNF beads and that of arsenic (As) on Fe-CNF beads were determined to be 180 mg/g and 18 mg/g, corresponding to an aqueous phase vitamin B12 concentration of 250 ppm and an As concentration of 50 ppm, respectively. These loadings were significantly larger than those obtained for the parent materials. The nanofibrous carbon beads developed here with enhanced adsorption capacity is novel, effective and simple to synthesize. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.