The paper studied and analyzed the removal efficiency and influencing factors of 8 types of oil-absorbing materials on the petroleum pollutants in the source water. By comparing the adsorption capacity of 8 types of oil absorption materials of 4 sorts commonly used in the market to different oil products， it is found that the largest saturated adsorption capacity is cotton and the smallest is vermiculite. The absorbent material PP absorbent cotton has a saturated adsorption capacity of 9.0 ~ 13.0 g·g^-1 for pure phase oil and oil retention is approximately 60% ~ 70% for 30 minutes depending on the sort of oil. The adsorption of PP oil absorbent cotton on petroleum substances in oil-water mixture is completely physical adsorption， and the adsorption kinetics conforms to the pseudo-first-class kinetic model. The removal rate can reach 60% ~ 70% in 10 minutes， and 80% ~ 90% in 120 minutes. The key factor affecting the adsorption rate is the contact area between oil-absorbing cotton and oily water. The larger the coverage area， the better the adsorption effect.