## 1 Introduction  
Industrialization, urbanization, and increased consumer demand are responsible for a continuous spread in the production of chemical substances. According to [PERSON] et al. [1], the global production of chemicals grew from 1 million (in 1930) to nearly 350 million tons per year (in 2011). In 2012, approximately 143,000 new compounds were registered in the European market, 50% of them being harmful to the environment [2]. Chemical compounds can be released in the environment during production, storage,transportation, use, and disposal, thus polluting the air, soil, and water [3]. Among others, micropollutants are of big concern as they pose a serious risk to the environmental integrity and human health. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) [4], micropollutants are chemical compounds with-out a regulatory status and whose impacts on human health and the environment are still unknown. They include pharmaceuticals (i.e., anti-inflammatory drugs, lipid regulators, antibiotics, neuroactive compounds, etc.) and personal care products (PCPs) such as fragrances, disinfectants, UV filters, and insect repellents [5; 6]. Both pharmaceuticals and PCPs constitute 70% of the total amount of micropollutants found in the environment. The remaining 30% is composed of industrial chemicals such as pesticides, food additives, phthalates, polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), per-fluorinated alkyl sulfonate (PFAS) compounds, fire retardants, plasticizers, insecticides, and fungicide [2]. Micropollutants can be found in surface waters, groundwater, and wastewaters in low concentration, from ng/L to ug/L [3; 7]. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove such pollutants; therefore, many of them are not eliminated and may be directly discharged in the aquatic environment [8]. Once in the environment, micropollutants concentration tends to decrease due to dilution, biodegradation, sorption into sediments, volatilization, dispersion, redox reactions, and photodegradation [9]. However, the rate of these processes is low due to their high chemical stability and their constant release into the environment [9]. Among micropollutants, phenolic compounds play a primary role, as they are widely present in cooking residues, papers, gases, oil-refining wastes, industrial wastewaters, and landfill leachates [10; 11; 12; 13]. Phenol (Ph) is widely used as precursor for the production of plastics, herbicides, phenolic resins, and pharmaceutical drugs. It is also used in disinfectants, peptizing agents, extracting solvents, and lubricants [14]. 3-Chlorophenol (CP) is used as a wood preservative, antirust agent, pesticide, and in paper, biocide, cosmetic, and public health industries [15]. Moreover, it can be formed during the degradation of phenoxy herbicides and the chlorination of effluents containing phenolic compounds [16]. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an emerging pollutant, included in the European list of \"substances of very high concern\" and suspected to cause breast cancer [17], mainly used as intermediate in the production of polycarbonate, epoxy resins, and flame retardants [18; 19]. Moreover, it can be found in many products, as adhesives, protective coatings, powder paints, and building materials. Its annual global production exceeds 3.8 million tons [20]. Furthermore, BPA can easily react with sodium hypochlorite giving chlorinated derivatives in disinfection water supply systems, which have been detected in humans where they interfere with osteogenic activity [19]. [PERSON] et al. [21] reviewed the most common techniques for the removal of emerging contaminants in water, with a special focus on adsorption as in [PERSON] et al. [6]. The latter was considered in different studies to manage wastewaters and aqueous solutions contaminated by phenolic compounds [22; 23; 24]. Activated carbons are prepared by physical or chemical activation of relatively inexpensive materials such as lignite, coal, peat, and wood [25].