Abstract: Spherical high-performance adsorbents, which are manufactured from polymer resin by water vapour activation with an activation time of at least 6 hours. The adsorbents have a pronounced microstructure in the range of 0 to 40 Å pore diameter and an overall micropore volume of at least 0.6 cm3/g. A substantial increase in the adsorption capacity for gases and vapours is achieved which is also represented by the very favourable ratio of weight capacity to volume capacity of upto 2 to 1. The spherical high-performance adsorbents with microstructure can be used for many purposes, in particular, textile fabrics for the adsorption of chemical warfare agents and toxic gases and vapours, in adsorption refrigerating plants in combination with the refrigerating agent methanol, in motor vehicle filters and biofilters.