Is the Future of Nanotechnology Hiding in Landfills?

By Ankit SinghReviewed by Frances BriggsJul 21 2025

Landfill sites are places for discarded electronics, plastic bottles, and organic waste. But could they be more? Researchers are now looking for ways to turn today's trash into tomorrow’s technology.

Image Credit: Maksim Safaniuk/Shutterstock.com

By upcycling waste streams into valuable nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon dots, and metal nanoparticles, scientists are addressing both the growing issue of waste and the resource-heavy production of nanomaterials.

This emerging field combines sustainable practices with advances in nanotechnology, transforming environmental challenges into useful technological resources.

Plastic Waste: From Pollution to High-Performance Nanomaterials

Plastic makes up about 12 % of global solid waste. With both the abundance of plastic waste and its high carbon content, it is a prime target for transformation into something more valuable. 

Scientists have been investigating this potential, exploring the conversion of plastic waste into advanced carbon nanomaterials. Recent studies have shown how polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles can be transformed into carbon nanotubes using catalytic pyrolysis, a process in which plastics are heated without oxygen.^1,2

The results of this conversion are exceptional. With notable electrical conductivity and mechanical strength, the carbon nanotubes produced from PET waste could be suitable for use in energy storage devices and sensor technologies. A recent article in Polymers reported a remarkable conversion efficiency to carbon nanotubes using a Ni-based catalyst. The nanotubes they produced had properties comparable to those made from fossil hydrocarbons.³

Another interesting technique for plastic conversion is flash joule heating. This method vaporizes plastics into graphene by delivering a brief but intense electric pulse, lasting around a second. It is energy-efficient, scalable, and avoids the need for toxic solvents. Scientists have already used this method to produce graphene for enhanced concrete conductivity and as a component in battery anodes.³ 

Plastics can also be upcycled into carbon dots, nanoparticles smaller than ten nanometers with adjustable fluorescence. Using hydrothermal processing, polyolefin plastics can produce carbon dots that are effective in detecting environmental pollutants, such as heavy metals, due to their unique light-emitting properties. These carbon dots also show potential for use in agricultural sensors to monitor soil health without introducing toxic residues.⁴

Researchers have even found a way to recycle some of the estimated 950 billion polypropylene face masks discarded during the pandemic. Published in Nano-Micro Letters, the researchers processed the masks and incorporated them with graphene, transforming them into high-performance thermally conductive nanocomposites. The resulting material exhibited a thermal conductivity of 87 W m^-1 K^-1 and provided an electromagnetic shielding of 88 dB, and can be used in electronic applications.⁵

E-Waste: Unlocking Precious Metals and Rare Elements

Waste and nanomaterials have a two-way relationship. While rubbish can be converted into nanomaterials, nanomaterials can also be used to convert waste into useful materials.

As technology changes, old electronics are dumped in exchange for the latest smartphones and laptops. As a result, electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream globally, generating over 53 million metric tons in 2023. But these discarded devices contain valuable metals, such as gold, silver, and palladium.

Efforts to retrieve these metals include energy-intensive smelting or hazardous acid leaching. However, recent reports have demonstrated the use of nanotechnology to extract metals from circuit boards cleanly.

One successful approach has been to use engineered nanoscale ligands. These ligands are designed to selectively bind with target metals, and can extract gold from circuit boards at a purity level of 99 %. It's a less toxic process than cyanide leaching and helps recover valuable materials while minimizing the need for mining.⁶

Researchers are also finding ways to recover rare earth elements like neodymium from hard drive magnets. Used in electric car motors and wind turbine generators, these materials can be recovered by using nanoporous membranes, which filter different materials via size exclusion and affinity-based filtration. By reclaiming them from electronic waste, nanotechnology is helping to conserve finite resources and reduce the environmental impact of traditional extraction methods.^6,7

Biomass and Food Waste: Nature’s Nanofactories

Organic waste streams look equally promising. Rice husks and banana peels, rich in silica, cellulose, and lignin, can also be processed into nanoparticles. For example, silica nanoparticles from rice husks can adsorb heavy metals and dyes from wastewater, with efficiencies above 90 %. Their porous structure and biocompatibility make them safer alternatives to synthetic adsorbents.⁴

A recent study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences demonstrated that onion skins and coffee grounds can be transformed into carbon quantum dots through solvothermal processing. These dots can have many applications: as nano-sensors for pesticides, changing color upon detecting contaminants, or in medical applications, where their low toxicity makes them suitable for bioimaging. 

Even seafood shells can be processed into chitosan nanoparticles, which are biodegradable and capable of delivering drugs across cell barriers.⁸

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Challenges and Future Pathways

Despite its promise, waste-derived nanotechnology faces some challenges. For instance, many of the current methods of their production are costly and challenging to scale. Processing mixed waste streams is another factor, as it requires new infrastructure.^3,10

There are also concerns about the toxicity of nanowaste. Could particles left over from production, or released during use, accumulate in the environment? Life-cycle assessments are needed to understand their environmental impact fully. Without careful management, these materials could introduce new ecological risks, such as bioaccumulation in aquatic habitats.^3,10

Future work is increasingly focused on circular design principles. One approach involves integrating artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the sorting and processing of waste materials. Another direction being investigated is the development of self-degrading nanomaterials that can break down safely after their intended use. Supporting policies that encourage urban mining can help view landfills as resources rather than just disposal sites.^1,2,3

International initiatives are helping to set standards. The UN Global Plastic Treaty and the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (N4SNano) aims to standardize safety protocols while promoting the beneficial aspects of nanotechnology. Initiatives like these are vital for ensuring their alignment with Sustainable Development Goals.^2,10

Waste as a Foundation for Innovation

The idea of mining landfills for nanomaterials may have sounded fanciful a decade ago, but it is now taking shape in laboratories worldwide. Plastic bottles can become nanotubes, broken smartphones can yield rare metals, and banana peels can power sensors.

While the field is still developing, the hope is that one day the world’s rubbish heaps won't be an endpoint for materials, but as a source of advanced materials.

References and Further Reading

1. Jankowska, E. et al. (2022). Transforming the Plastic Production System Presents Opportunities to Tackle the Climate Crisis. Sustainability, 14(11), 6539. DOI:10.3390/su14116539. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6539
2. Mehta, J. et al. (2025). Plastic waste upcycling into carbon nanomaterials in circular economy: Synthesis, applications, and environmental aspects. Carbon, 234, 119969. DOI:10.1016/j.carbon.2024.119969. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008622324011886
3. Hosny, M. et al. (2024). From Waste to Worth: Upcycling Plastic into High-Value Carbon-Based Nanomaterials. Polymers, 17(1), 63. DOI:10.3390/polym17010063. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/17/1/63
4. Arpita, Kumar, P. et al. (2023). Plastic Waste-Derived Carbon Dots: Insights of Recycling Valuable Materials Towards Environmental Sustainability. Current Pollution Reports. 9, 433–453. DOI:10.1007/s40726-023-00268-5. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40726-023-00268-5
5. Zhang, X. et al. (2025). Highly Thermal Conductive and Electromagnetic Shielding Polymer Nanocomposites from Waste Masks. Nano-Micro Letters. 17, 263. DOI:10.1007/s40820-025-01796-z. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40820-025-01796-z
6. Nanotechnology And Waste Management. (2025). Meegle. https://www.meegle.com/en_us/topics/nanotechnology/nanotechnology-and-waste-management
7. The National E-waste Monitor Norway 2025. (2025). E-Waste Monitor. https://ewastemonitor.info/the-national-e-waste-monitor-norway-2025/
8. Radulescu, D. et al. (2023). Green Synthesis of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles: A Review of the Principles and Biomedical Applications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(20), 15397. DOI:10.3390/ijms242015397. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/20/15397
9. Zahra, Z. et al. (2022). Nanowaste: Another Future Waste, Its Sources, Release Mechanism, and Removal Strategies in the Environment. Sustainability, 14(4), 2041. DOI:10.3390/su14042041. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/4/2041
10. Network 4 Sustainable Nanotechnology Global Summit 2025. (2025). n4snanoglobalsummit2025.com. https://www.n4snanoglobalsummit2025.com/

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