Adsorptive removal of gaseous phenanthrene by mesoporous adsorbents were studied. Mesoporosity contributed to fast adsorption kinetics and facile regeneration. Cross-linked structure on SBA-15 facilitated diffusions in adsorption and desorption. Re-adsorption in desorption increased with decreasing adsorbent structure dimension. CMK-3 was more applicable to removing phenanthrene compared to naphthalene.