Oil spills lead to a substantial depletion of aquatic biodiversity. The mitigation of an oil spill can entail considerable financial outlays, give rise to consequential environmental impacts, and present formidable operational complexities. In this research, hollow hydroxyapatite particles with enhanced oil adsorption characteristics were prepared by surface modification with stearic acid. Peanut and vacuum pump oils were used to imitate oil spills and conduct adsorption tests. The 50% stearic acid-modified hydroxyapatite (Sa/HAP) adsorbent showed superior hydrophobic properties with respect to water contact angle data. Adsorption isotherm analysis revealed that the adsorption processes of peanut and vacuum pump oils matched well with the Sips isotherm model, with regression coefficients of 0.992 and 0.996, respectively. The oil adsorption by the modified hydroxyapatite (HAP) adsorbent was found to be 9.85 g·g−1 for peanut oil and 12.13 g·g−1 for vacuum pump oil. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics performance was determined by chemical interaction, whereas the adsorption equilibrium capacities were 8.97 g·g−1 and 11.41 g·g−1, respectively. Recycling of the spent adsorbent was performed with toluene stripping. The synthesized oil-adsorbents were analyzed by SEM, FTIR, XRD, contact angle, and TGA analyses. Hence, the efficacy of the Sa/HAP material as a potential adsorbent for the purification of oil-contaminated water was established, attributed to its commendable oil adsorption capability. Display omitted •Sa-modified HAP showed excellent hydrophobicity with a high-water contact angle.•Evaluated peanut and vacuum pump oils adsorption on Sa/HAP particles.•Sips model showed the best fit for Sa/HAP adsorption, with R2 values 0.992 and 0.996.•Temperature influences the peanut and vacuum pump oils adsorption.•Sa-modified HAP particles can be regenerated using the toluene stripping method.