This study described the adsorption of chloramphenicol (CAP) in wastewater on the renewable bioresource of bamboo charcoal (BC). Results showed that CAP adsorption on BC (Ln q(e) = 1.272 Ln C(e) + 1.971) and H(2)SO(4) modified BC (Ln q(e) = 1.851 Ln C(e) + 0.659) were very slight, and on NaOH modified BC was significantly increased (Ln q(e) = 0.344 Ln C(e) + 6.490). The adsorbents were characterized by N(2) adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is revealed that BC and modified BC had very small surface areas of less than 1 m(2) g(-1), H(2)SO(4) treatment led to minimal variation in surface functional groups, and NaOH treatment increased the percentage of surface graphitic carbon and other oxygen-containing groups. The increased adsorption of CAP on NaOH modified BC was mainly ascribed to the enhancement of the pi-pi interaction between the adsorbent and adsorbate. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.