A type of mesoporous ZrO2 was synthesized and its phosphate removal potential was investigated in this study. The adsorption isotherm, pH effect, ionic strength effect and desorption were examined in batch experiments. The adsorption data fitted well to the Langmuir model with which the maximum P adsorption capacity was estimated to be 29.71 mgP/g. The amount of phosphate adsorbed increased rapidly in the first 5 h and slowly towards the end of the run, suggesting the possible monolayer coverage of phosphate ions on the surface of the adsorbent. The phosphate adsorption tended to increase with a decrease of pH and an increase of ionic strength. A phosphate desorbability of approximately 60% was observed with 0.5 M NaOH, which indicated a relatively strong bonding between the adsorbed PO43- and the sorptive sites on the surface of the adsorbent. The immobilization of phosphate probably occurs by the mechanisms of ion exchange and physicochemical attraction. Due to its high adsorption capacity, this type of Zirconium oxide has the potential for application to control phosphorus pollution. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.