Ordered mesoporous SBA-15 silica and a nanosized KIL-2 material with textural mesoporosity were synthesised and modified with sulphonic groups. Functionalisation with SO3H groups was performed by a two-step procedure, in which mercapto-modified mesoporous silicas were obtained first in reaction with mercaptosilane followed by treatment in H2O2 to result SO3H-modified mesoporous silicas. Initial and SO3H-containing mesoporous materials were char-acterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 physisorption, TG analysis, and TPD of ammonia. The catalytic performance of the SO3H/SBA-15 and SO3H/KIL-2 catalysts was studied in levulinic acid esterification with ethanol. A sulphonic-functionalised SBA-15 mesoporous material showed a higher conversion of levulinic acid to ethyl levulinate.