Abstract: Pesticides, heavy metals, dyes, pharmaceuticals and personal care products are common pollutants in water. Some compounds among them are characterized by highly toxic, difficult to decomposite and long residue period, which can easily to accumulate in the food chain and endanger the human health. The treatment technologies of pollutants in water include biodegradation, chemical oxidation, membrane filtration, adsorption and photocatalytic degradation, among which adsorption is the most widely used method to remove pollutants due to its simple operation, high efficiency and less toxic by-products. Biochar has a high specific surface area, high porosity and a variety of functional groups, and has a good adsorption effect on a variety of pollutants, which plays an important role in the study of adsorption of pollutants. The preparation methods, properties and applications of biochar in pollutant adsorption were introduced in detail.