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Even after decades of research, the preparation of mesoporous silica still depends on the sol–gel method. The major problem of sol–gel method is its infeasibility in industrial manufacturing. A large-scale preparation method is desired to meet the growing demand of mesoporous silica in multiple applications. A cost-effective and industrially feasible method was proposed to prepare mesoporous silica. The well-developed acid leaching technology was used as a novel pore forming method for treating coal fly ash. And mesoporous silica with specific surface area as high as 585.02 m 2 /g and pore volume of 0.54 cm 3 /g was successfully prepared under a control of reaction parameters. Reaction intensity was introduced as a new parameter to describe reaction conditions and help explain the variation of pore structure and shape prepared under different reaction conditions. This method is feasible in large-scale manufacturing of mesoporous silica and will satisfy the great demand for its wide applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]