Experimental data are presented for batch and fixed-bed adsorption of lactic acid from aqueous sodium lactate solutions onto the tertiary amine sorbents, Dowex MWA-1 and Amberlite IRA-35, in the presence of carbon dioxide. The effects of carbon dioxide pressure and sodium lactate concentration on lactate uptake capacity were measured. A simple complexation model, which includes chemical-equilibria and mass- and charge-balance equations, was developed to describe the system. There are no fitted parameters in the model. The model predictions compare well with batch adsorption data.