Mesoporous hydroxyapatite is proposed in this study as an adsorbent to be applied in conjunction with current dialysis system as a viable para-Cresol (p-Cresol) removal agent The hydroxyapatite was synthesized based on a surfactant-templating method by using non-ionic surfactants (Pluronic P123, Pluronic F127) as templates for creating hollow hydroxyapatite particles and later removed via calcination. The high pressure during calcination caused crystallites of hydroxyapatite to collapse and form solid rod-like particles (27-57 nm). The compact arrangement of these nanopartides formed bulk material with mesopores of 33-36 nm in diameter. Pure crystalline hydroxyapatite is verified by X-ray diffraction analysis, energy dispersive spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The mesoporous hydroxyapatite exhibited pore volume of 0.31-0.94 cm(3)/g and surface area of 35-46 m(2)/g. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms and kinetics for the p-Cresol adsorption by the hydroxyapatite are investigated. The p-Cresol adsorption equilibrium data is best represented by the Freundlich isotherm. The adsorption kinetics is found to obey the pseudo second order kinetic model. The Pluronic P123 surfactant formed smaller micelle as compared to Pluronic F127 and this resulted in mesoporous hydroxyapatite with better pore characteristics and p-Cresol adsorption capacity. This study confirms the feasibility of applying mesoporous hydroxyapatite as an effective adsorbent for p-Cresol removal in an ideal artificial kidney system. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.