A new hybrid material was developed by the template-free hybridization of weak acidic pink red B (APRB, C.I. 18073) with BaSO4. The composition and structure of the material were determined and characterized. In contrast to conventional sorbents, the hybrid material has a specific surface area of 0.89 m(2)/g, but it contains lots of negative charges and lipophilic groups as the basis of specific adsorption. The efficient removal of cationic dyes and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) indicates that it has an improved adsorption capacity and selectivity with a short removal time less than 2 min; while the hybrid sorbents fit the Langmuir isotherm model, and follow the octanol-water partition law. Instead of using APRB reagent, an APRB-producing wastewater was reused to prepare the cost-effective sorbent, and the equilibrium adsorption capacities of which reached 222 and 160 mg/g for EV and BPR, respectively. The sorbents was then used to treat three wastewater samples with satisfactory results of over 97% decolonization and 88% COD-decreasing. In addition, the hybrid sorbent was regenerated from sludge over five cycles, and its adsorption capacity was not appreciably changed. This work has developed a simple and eco-friendly method for synthesizing a practical and efficient sorbent. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.