Synthesis of hydrophilic and hydrophobic carbon quantum dots from waste of wine fermentation.

Wine lees are one of the main residues formed in vast quantities during the fermentation of wine. While toxic when applied to plants and wetlands, it is a biodegradable material, and several alternatives have been proposed for its valorization as: dietary supplement in animal feed, source for various yeast extracts and bioconversion feedstock. The implementation of stricter environment protection regulations resulted in increasing costs for wineries as their treatment process constitutes an unavoidable and expensive step in wine production.

Sustainable Chemistry: From Wine Industry Waste (Wine Lees) to Luminescent Ink-jet Inks Containing Carbon Dots.

Carbon nanodots can be obtained in good yields by direct combustion of an abundant waste from the wine industry, wine lees. The extraction of these nanoparticles followed by their chemical functionalization lead to an ink-jettable material emitting in the visible region (blue) under specific UV irradiation.