A method based on eco-friendly solid-phase extraction (SPE) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was validated for the trace analysis of malachite green (MG) in industrial wastewater samples. For the extraction of MG, a lignocellulose biomass composite material was prepared from moringa oleifera pods, which were modified with CuFe2O4, and used as solid phase extraction bio-sorbent. The chromatographic separation of MG was optimised using an Acquity (R) BEH C-18 analytical column in isocratic separation conditions (65% water with formic acid (0.1%, v/v) and 35% methanol). The total separation time was <1 min with satisfactory resolution and symmetry. The proposed method offers suitable validation parameters in terms of linearity (r(2) > 0.999), precision (run-to-run and day-to-day) <4%, and sensitivity with a limit of detection of 0.1 mu g/L. The optimized method has been applied in the analysis of industrial wastewater samples (printing press, paper, textile and laundry), and the amounts obtained were in the range of 0.62 to 1.68 mg/L with recovery rates ranging from 99 to 103%. The achieved outcomes confirmed the applicability of the proposed analytical methodology as a novel advantageous approach for the routine analysis of MG in industrial effluents. In the future, this method could be comprehensively applied in the efficient removal of colored pollutants as well as for the quantification of the exposure to MG. (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.