To provide a method of selectively separating a hydrophobic substance such as phenols by efficiently combining a cyclodextrin compound having a plurality of anionic radicals to an insoluble material, to provide a substance separation method efficient for removal of a contaminant from solution such as waste water and isolation of a useful substance from aqueous solution by sufficiently utilizing inclusion complex formation of cyclodextrin according to the separation method of hydrophobic substance using multi-anionic cyclodextrin compound, and to provide a selective adsorbent of hydrophobic substance used in the separation method.

The method of separating a hydrophobic substance in solution according to the inclusion complex formation of the cyclodextrin compound comprises a process of combining the cyclodextrin compound having a plurality of anionic radicals in a molecule with an insoluble polymer molded body having a plurality of cationic radicals via ionic bonds between the plurality of anionic radicals and cationic radicals.