Adsorption of sulfur compoundsby porous materials is an effective way to produce cleaner diesel fuel.In this study, adsorption of refractory thiophenic sulfur compounds, i.e., benzothiophene (BT), dibenzothiophene (DBT), and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) in single-solute systems from n-hexane solutions onto metal-impregnated activated carbons was investigated. A hydrogen-treated activated carbon fiber was selectively loaded with Ni, NiO, Cu, Cu 2 O, and CuO species to systematically assess the impact of each metal species on the adsorption of thiophenic compounds (TC). Metal-loaded adsorbents had the same total metal contents and similar microporosities, but contained different types of copper or nickel species. All metal-loaded adsorbents showed enhanced adsorption of tested TC. Cu 2 O-or NiO-loaded adsorbents exhibited the highest uptakes, due to more specific interactions between Cu + or Ni 2+ species and TC molecules. The theoretical monolyer coverage of TC on the exposed Cu + sites was estimated and compared with that calculated from the experimental data. Results suggested catalytic conversion of TC molecules to other compounds on the Cu + sites, followed by adsorption of reaction products onto the carbon surface or multilayer accumulation of TC molecules on the Cu + sites. TC adsorption uptake of the majority of adsorbents followed the order of: 4,6-DMDBT > DBT > BT due to higher intensity of specific and non-specific interactions of larger TC molecules with adsorbents.