Thermal regeneration of hypercrosslinked polymeric adsorbent (HPA) was performed at 67 degrees C. Experiments were carried out using a multimode microwave oven operating at 2450 MHz and a thermostatic water bath so as to compare the effect of the different heating mechanisms on the regeneration efficiency of the HPA saturated with nitrophenols. The temperature rise action of the heterogeneous regeneration system under microwave irradiation was described. Additionally, a complete structure and chemical characterization of the regenerated HPA was also carried out in order to study the influence of the subsequent regeneration cycles on the structure and the adsorption capacities of the adsorbents. Structure characterization of the regenerated HPA was accomplished by means of the analysis of FTIR spectra.