Lysozyme adsorption onto Cibacron Blue F3GA incorporated magnetic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (mag-PHEMA) beads was investigated. Mag-PHEMA beads (80-120 mum) were produced by dispersion polymerization. The triazine dye Cibacron Blue F3GA was incorporated covalently as a dye ligand. These dye-incorporated beads, having a swelling ratio of 34% (w/w) and carrying different amounts of Cibacron Blue F3GA (12.2-42.8 mumol/g) were used in lysozyme adsorption studies. The effects of the initial concentration, pH, ionic strength, and temperature on the adsorption efficiency of dye-incorporated beads were studied in a batch reactor. The effects of the Cibacron Blue F3GA loading on the lysozyme adsorption were also studied. The nonspecific adsorption of lysozyme on the mag-PHEMA beads was 0.8 mg/g. Cibacron Blue F3GA attachment significantly increased the lysozyme adsorption up to 295 mg/g. More than 90% of the adsorbed lysozyme was desorbed in 1 h in a desorption medium containing 1.0M KSCN at pH 8.0. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.