A review on sustainable valorization of biomedical waste into carbon dots fabrication for application in wastewater treatment: Scope, prospects and challenges

Among different carbon-based nanomaterials, carbon dots (CDs) are recognized as emerging nanocatalysts. Having potential for wide industrial applications, the sustainable and innovative production of nanomaterials like CDs from waste matter has become one of the focus research areas for researchers. Worldwide population growth is increasing and generating waste materials massively, posing a serious burden to the environment. Among diverse wastes, biomedical waste is classified into specific category of massive waste produced on daily basis by mankind. These are an exclusive category of waste, and being a rich source of carbon, they can be used to fabricate CDs. Therefore, the present review explores the preparation strategies of CDs using biomedical waste. Subsequently, the utility of CDs produced from biomedical waste has been discussed in reference to their sensing capability of wastewater contaminants, along with their possible use as adsorbents and photocatalysts to remediate aquatic pollutants. These approaches may contribute an important role to the goal of waste to value addition and environmental management areas. This review provides new insights and future prospects into the area of biomedical waste management, opportunities, challenges, and research gaps, which may assist in providing sustainability of the environment.