Adsorption is one of the important techniques in separation including the use of activated carbon to remove organic micropollutants from water in treating of drinking water production. Although the adsorption processes to remove contaminant from water have been used widely, the models to describe in detail the adsorption mechanisms need to be formulated. This paper uses the relation [k(L)a](f) = [kLa](g)e(-beta q) to develop the mathematical models to determine the resistance of mass transfer. Parameters in equations are all physically meaningful, experimental data validation shows that the equations remained accurate. The global, external, and internal mass transfer factors are analyzed to contribute to adsorption mechanism investigation. The resistances of mass transfer for adsorption of the different surfactants onto granular activated carbons are verified. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.