Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are considered as one of the main air pollutants, and legislation has already been introduced in many countries to reduce their emissions. In addition to the main emission sources, such as petroleum industries, there are also many local sources, such as painting, printing and laundering etc., which emit low concentrations of VOC. A modified adsorption system (MAS) has been suggested for the control low concentrations and high flow rate streams of VOC. The MAS was based on adsorption, followed by the treatment of concentrated VOC, such as incineration (catalytic or thermal) or recovery. In this paper, the results of the adsorption/desorption of toluene (target VOC) over several adsorbents (activated carbon, hydrophobic zeolites and mesoporous materials) were reviewed for the selection of a good VOC adsorbent for the MAS. From the results, zeolite HY, with a FAU structure, was selected as the most potential adsorbent for the MAS.