Copper (II) oxide nanoparticles were incorporated into the pore systemof mesoporous carbon CMK-3 by a facile method, forming the composite Cu/CMK-3. Cu/CMK-3 was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, and transmission electron microscopy. Results showed that Cu/CMK-3 preserved the ordered mesoporous structure of CMK-3 and copper (II) oxide was dispersed within the CMK-3 channels as small nanoparticles. CMK-3 still had a large surface area after copper (II) oxide was incorporated. The adsorption and catalytic dry oxidation ability of Cu/CMK-3 for phenol was determined. The adsorption and recycle results indicate that Cu/CMK-3 adsorbs aqueous phenol well because of its large surface area. Most of the phenol adsorbed on CMK-3 was catalytically dry-oxidized at relatively low temperature. We demonstrate that Cu/CMK-3 can be used as a sorbent-catalyst for aqueous phenol. After seven cycles, Cu/CMK-3 retained a substantial fraction of its adsorption ability for phenol. A combined thermogravimetry-mass spectroscopy (TG-MS) instrument was used to investigate the catalytic activity and ignition behavior of Cu/CMK-3. Results show that CuO is the active component during the catalytic dry oxidization of phenol. The adsorbed phenol is catalytically dry-oxidized into carbon dioxide and water at the relatively low temperature of about 180 ℃, where no phenol desorption or CMK-3 ignition occurred.