These simple and non-toxic adsorbents enable magnetic extraction of POP-representative biphenyl, mono-chlorinated PCB 2, di-chlorinated PCB 14 and tetra-chlorinated PCB 77 from aqueous solutions at low concentrations. An interplay of hydrophobic segregation and electrostatic interactions cause the non-covalent attraction of the pollutants to the functionalized nanoparticle surface. The nature of this surface is tailorable by choice of the phosphonic acid derivate SAM. PAC3Imi+@SPIONs provides positively charged interaction sites, while PAC16@SPIONs and PAC10Ph@SPIONs equip the adsorbent surface with a hydrophobic interface, which translates into corresponding interactions with the pollutants.