Pine needles are a forest waste biomass as an adsorbent for dye water

Abstract The increasing discharge of dye‐laden wastewater from various industries into water bodies poses a critical threat to the environment and human health due to the persistent and toxic nature of synthetic dyes, particularly the azo dyes. Conventional treatment methods often fail to effectively remove these pollutants, highlighting the need for sustainable and efficient alternatives. In this study, pine leaves, an abundant, renewable, and underutilized forest biomass, were used as a precursor material for the preparation of porous activated carbon via a physical activation technique. The activation was carried out via controlled thermal treatment without using the chemicals activating agents, making the adsorbent synthesis eco‐friendly and a low‐cost procedure. The hollow structured activated carbon was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and Ultraviolet–Visible spectroscopy to interpret its surface morphology, study its functional groups, and determine its adsorption behavior, respectively. According to the findings, the pine leaf‐derived activated carbon can effectively remove colors from aqueous solutions, thus making it a viable option for environmental remediation and water purification.