β-SiC powders were synthesized at 1400 ℃ for 3 h under Ar atomosphere via catalytic reaction method using industrial diatomite powders and phenolic resin as raw materials, and nickel nitrate as catalyst precursor. The effects of temperature, holding time and catalyst content on the formation of the SiC powders were investigated. XRD, SEM and TEM analyses were employed to characterize the phase composition and microstructure of the final products. The results indicated that: 1) β-SiC can be synthesized at 1400 ℃ for 3 h with 1.5 wt% Ni as catalysts. In contrast, for the sample without Ni catalysts, the yield of β-SiC was only 17% in the final products under identical condition; 2) The as-prepared β-SiC were granular in morphology, and the particle size were less than 100 nm.