Carbon membrane consisting of a mixture of powdered activated carbon and poly vinyl alcohol/N-vinyl pyrrolidone was made by single freezing and thawing followed by gamma-ray irradiation. The prepared membrane was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and gel content. The membrane was applied for adsorption of some hazardous wastes (acid dye, basic dye, heavy metal ions such as Co and Ni, dichromate anion, and phenols) from their solutions. From the results, it was found that the prepared membrane possesses greater efficiency toward removal of heavy metal ions than powdered activated carbon, whereas their adsorption capacity toward dyes and phenol is almost the same as active carbon. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. I Appl Polym Sci 114: 149-156, 2009