Oil shale ash (OSA) from the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler was granulated and used as a sorbent for the removal of phenols from shale oil wastewater. The method for preparation of the sorbent involved washing of the ash, mixing with clay, gelling the mixture with sodium alginate solution, solidifying the granules in barium chloride solution, drying and calcination of the granules and modifying with a surfactant - hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The sorbent was characterized by specific surface area (BETN2), X-ray diffraction ( XRD) and Si-29 Magic Angle Spinning-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (MAS-NMR) analysis. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to determine the phenol adsorption isotherm at 20 degrees C and removal of water-soluble phenols from phenolic shale oil processing wastewater. Removal of phenols from wastewater was found to be 50-65% under given conditions.