[Objective] The research was aimed to study the adsorption behavior of p-nitroaniline from aqueous solution by porous hollow carbonaceous spheres (PHCSs).[Method] The effects of pH,temperature and amount of carbonaceous microspheres on adsorption behavior of p-nitroaniline were investigated.[Result] The adsorption amount was affected by temperature slightly,and it decreased with the increase of temperature within a certain range.PHCSs had a higher adsorption capacity as pH was in the range of 2.0-8.0.The adsorption amount of p-nitroaniline was proportional to PHCSs amount within a certain range until it reached a saturation level.The adsorption isotherms of p-nitroaniline appeared to be nonlinear and obeyed to Freundlich equation very well.[Conclusion] The amphiphilic property and the specific chemical functional groups of PHCSs enable them to be a potentially excellent sorbent.