A novel type of adsorption gel was prepared from filter paper by treating it with concentrated sulfuric acid to investigate the efficient adsorption of Au(III) from aqueous acidic chloride media. Various parameters have been examined for the recovery of gold such as effects of hydrochloric acid concentrations, contact time, initial Au(III) concentrations, and temperature. The adsorption of gold was fitted with the Langmuir type adsorption model, and the maximum adsorption capacity of gold was evaluated as 5.05 mmol.g(-1). The kinetics of gold adsorption was interpreted in terms of the pseudofirst-order kinetic model, and the activation energy was evaluated as 61.3 kJ.mol(-1). The gold adsorbed by the paper gel was measured by means of X-ray diffraction spectrum, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and an optical microscope. The inferred mechanism for the adsorption of Au(III), followed by its reduction to elemental gold, was proposed based on the observation of infrared spectroscopic analysis. It was inferred that Au(III) was adsorbed by the coordination to oxygen atom of C-O-C linkage formed after the cross-linking with concentrated sulfuric acid, as well as the oxygen atoms of hydroxyl groups of pyranose rings of paper cellulose. The adsorbed gold can easily be recovered by the incineration method at elevated temperature.