Sustainable co-production of carbon quantum dots and activated carbon from natural rubber latex for the inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms and removal of pharmaceutical residues.

ABSTRACT: This study demonstrates a sustainable and integrated method for the co-production of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and activated carbon (AC) using natural rubber (NR) latex, which is a renewable and widely available biomass. CQDs were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and nitric acid as nitrogen dopants. The as-formed product comprised uniform amorphous nanoparticles (3.5-11.0 nm) that exhibited intense blue photoluminescence and abundant surface amino and oxygen-containing groups. The CQDs exhibited excellent antimicrobial and antiviral activities, achieving >99.9% inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and influenza A virus (H3N2) with

SUBMITTER: Yousatit S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12710462 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature