Araucaria bark transforming polluted water into pure stream.

Sustainable Style: Turning Tree Bark into Dye-Busting Super Material

Avery Sinclair in Climate & Environment August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover how Araucaria angustifolia bark, a forestry waste product, could revolutionize wastewater treatment by efficiently removing harmful dyes."

Wood processing generates substantial waste, posing environmental challenges due to organic matter and phenolic compounds. Araucaria angustifolia, towering trees reaching 25–35 meters, produce significant bark waste – roughly 25% of their trunk volume – during processing. This waste often ends up in landfills, potentially contaminating soil and water (Röder & Thornley, 2018).

While some bark is repurposed for energy generation or seedling production, a considerable amount remains unused. This has spurred efforts to find alternative applications for wood processing byproducts, transforming potential pollutants into valuable resources (Moreno et al. 2017; Cetiner & Shea 2018; Hossain et al. 2018).

The textile and leather industries contribute significantly to water pollution through colored effluents loaded with synthetic dyes. It’s estimated over 100,000 types of synthetic dyes are produced annually, totaling 700,000 tons worldwide (Al-Fawwaz & Abdullah 2016). The toxicity and persistence of these dyes necessitate improved treatment methods, leading researchers to explore innovative solutions like adsorption (Mu & Wang 2016).

Araucaria Bark: An Unlikely Hero for Water Purification

Araucaria bark transforming polluted water into pure stream.

Adsorption is emerging as a promising technique for treating dye-contaminated effluents because of its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The focus is now shifting towards finding readily available, low-cost materials to act as effective adsorbents (Bonilla-Petriciolet et al. 2017). Vegetable-based materials are particularly attractive due to their sustainable nature.

Researchers investigated the potential of Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) to remove Gentian Violet (GV), a common dye, from water. Common vegetable alternative adsorbents, AA-Bark is composed of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, offering a unique structure that can bind dye molecules. The study aimed to explore raw AA-Bark’s capabilities, avoiding costly pre-processing, and determining whether it can turn forestry waste into a water treatment solution.

The study revealed several key findings:

AA-Bark effectively removes Gentian Violet dye from aqueous solutions.
The adsorption process is most efficient at a pH of 8.0 with an adsorbent dosage of 0.80 g/L.
AA-Bark can treat simulated dye house effluent, achieving color removal rates of approximately 80%.
AA-Bark demonstrates excellent performance in fixed-bed experiments, indicating its potential for continuous treatment systems.

These results indicate that AA-Bark is a promising material for dye removal. The process is rapid, with equilibrium reached within 30 minutes, and the bark can be regenerated for reuse. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 305.3 mg/g. This process can be characterized as spontaneous, favorable, and endothermic.

Turning Waste into a Resource

This research demonstrates the potential to transform a forestry byproduct, Araucaria angustifolia bark, into a valuable tool for combating water pollution. By providing a cost-effective and sustainable method for dye removal, AA-Bark offers a pathway towards cleaner water and a more circular economy. Further exploration and application of this method could significantly benefit both the environment and industries struggling with dye-contaminated wastewater.

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This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.2166/wst.2018.448, Alternate LINK

Title: Potential Of Araucaria Angustifolia Bark As Adsorbent To Remove Gentian Violet Dye From Aqueous Effluents

Subject: Water Science and Technology

Journal: Water Science and Technology

Publisher: IWA Publishing

Authors: Jordana Georgin, Fernanda Caroline Drumm, Patrícia Grassi, Dison Franco, Daniel Allasia, Guilherme Luiz Dotto

Published: 2018-10-23

Everything You Need To Know

What is Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) and why is it being investigated for wastewater treatment?

Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) is a waste product from wood processing, specifically from the Araucaria angustifolia tree. Instead of being discarded in landfills, it's being explored as a sustainable solution for removing synthetic dyes, like Gentian Violet, from water. The bark's composition, including lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, allows it to bind dye molecules effectively.

Can you explain the process of adsorption in relation to Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) and dye removal?

Adsorption, in the context of dye removal, is a process where dye molecules adhere to the surface of a material, in this case, Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark). AA-Bark acts as an adsorbent, capturing dye molecules from the water. This is a cost-effective and efficient method for treating dye-contaminated effluents, especially when using readily available and low-cost materials like AA-Bark.

Under what conditions is Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) most effective for removing dyes from water, according to the study?

The study demonstrated that Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) is most effective at removing Gentian Violet dye from water at a pH of 8.0, using an adsorbent dosage of 0.80 g/L. Under these conditions, AA-Bark can remove color from simulated dye house effluent with approximately 80% effectiveness. Furthermore, its high performance in fixed-bed experiments suggests its suitability for continuous treatment systems.

What are the broader implications of using Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) for dye removal in terms of sustainability and cost-effectiveness?

The findings show that Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) can be used as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to current dye removal methods. This is significant because it transforms a forestry waste product into a valuable resource for combating water pollution. The successful removal of Gentian Violet and the potential for continuous treatment systems could greatly benefit industries dealing with dye-contaminated wastewater, promoting a more circular economy.

What are some specifics on the time and capacity of the adsorption and what further research is needed about Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) to be used for dye removals?

The study achieved equilibrium with the Araucaria angustifolia bark (AA-Bark) within 30 minutes, and the bark can be regenerated for reuse. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 305.3 mg/g. This process can be characterized as spontaneous, favorable, and endothermic. While the study focused on Gentian Violet, future research could explore AA-Bark's effectiveness on a wider range of dyes and its long-term performance in real-world conditions.