Mesoporous molecular sieves are promising as adsorbents for purification of biological molecules, such as amino acids, due to their tuneable mesopore sizes and high surface area. In this study, the adsorption of the basic amino acid, lysine, onto MCM-41, a siliceous mesoporous molecular sieve, has been investigated under a range of solution conditions. It was found to adsorb according to a Langmuir-type isotherm with a maximum capacity at pH 6 of 0.21 mmol/g. The extent of adsorption depends strongly on the pH and ionic strength of the adsorbate solution, due to a combination of ion exchange and electrostatic interactions governing the adsorption process.