Ten carbonizates made of biomass (cereal bran, chicory, cereal straw, coconut and walnut shell) and blends of hard coal with the biomass (30%) were studied to det. isotherms of the PhOH adsorption from aq. solns. Course of the isotherms was compared with the adsorption isotherm detd. for a hard coal carbonizate. The carbonizates showed a significantly higher effectiveness of PhOH removal from water than the hard coal carbonizate.