The sustainable development goals have provided a boost and economic
appeal to recycling and reusing waste. Waste materials like plastic, industrial, and
biomass can be exploited as a foundation to produce valuable products, including
wonder materials like graphene. It is utilized in almost every field of life, from
environmental sustainability to smart clothing. Waste material contains a variety of
organic polymers which can be converted into graphene and its derivatives. It uses
various methods like metal catalysis, laser ablation techniques, flash Joule heating, and
pyrolysis. These methods may produce 3D, 2D, 1D, and 0D graphene. The obtained
products have exclusive properties like thermal, optoelectronic, and electrical
properties. The potential for removing and converting waste into the revolutionary
material of the century opens possibilities for a sustainable and progressive yet less
hazardous world for our future generations. Some approaches promise the fabrication
of graphene and its spin-offs from biowaste like sugarcane bagasse, dog feces, and
grass. Similarly, liquid phase exfoliation of graphene provides less hazardous and
sustainable graphene production from materials without using toxic materials or
burdening the earth with waste products. The carbon-negative approach proves an
environmentally friendly alternative to prevalent waste-burning practices to dispose of
such waste. The obtained graphene and related products have distinctive properties and
tremendous applications at a fraction of the cost. The potential for removing and
converting waste into the revolutionary material of the century opens possibilities for a
sustainable and progressive yet less hazardous world for our future generations. This
chapter reviews the efficient methods for synthesizing graphene from waste products
and its various applications.
Keywords: Cost, Environmental, Flash graphene, Graphene quantum dots, LaserInduced graphene, LIG, Laser ablation, Production, Pyrolysis, Supercapacitor sustainability, Toxicity, Waste.
