Chitosan gel was prepared by crosslinking method. To make use of chitosan gel, the optimization of elution conditions and the adsorbent characteristics of chitosan gel were discussed in this article. The optimum elution conditions were c (NaCI) = 0.05 mol/L in Tris-HCl (pH, 9.05) at the flow rate of 2.0-3.0 mL/min with chitosan gel (particle sizes, 120-140 mu m). The effects of contact time, pH, initial BSA concentration, and temperature on adsorption were studied. The equilibrium data could be described well by Langmuir, Freundlich, and Redlich-Peterson models. Adsorption dynamics had been successfully studied by Langergren, intraparticle diffusion model and Avrami model. The thermodynamics parameters Delta G degrees, Delta H degrees, and Delta S degrees were calculated. The spectra studies indicated that the interaction between gel and protein was chiefly through electrostatic attraction in the shape of hydrogen bond. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.