The mechanism of reactive adsorption of dibenzothiophene (DBT) on a series of modified carbons derived from the recycled PET was investigated. The influence of the oxygen functionalities of the adsorbent on the DBT adsorption capacity was explored. The results revealed that adsorption of DBT on activated carbons is governed by two types of contributions: physisorption on the microporous network of the carbons and chemisorption. Introduction of surface acidic groups enhanced the performance of the carbons as a result of their specific interactions with DBT. The nature of the acidic groups is a decisive factor in the selectivity of the reactive adsorption process. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.