Mesoporous silicon carbide hollow spheres (SiC-HS) with a large specific surface area (690.2 m(2) g(-1)) are synthesized at a relatively low temperature of 650 degrees C by magnesiothermic reduction using the template of carbon-coated mesoporous silica hollow spheres and molten salt as the heat absorbent and solvent. The mesoporous SiC-HS comprising many small primary crystals (2-4 nm) with a well-maintained microstructure have good thermal stability and adsorption ability, and are promising as adsorbents to remove organic pollution from water. The synthesis technique can be extended to other nanostructured carbide ceramic materials.