Sustainable carbon nanomaterials: Recent advances and its applications in energy and environmental remediation

•This review highlights the recent advances in the synthesis of various sustainable carbon nanomaterials.•Natural resources, biomass in particular, waste residues like industrial effluents and plastic wastes have been identified as potential precursors.•The review also focuses on applications of sustainable carbon nanomaterials in energy storage, environmental remediation and purification.

Carbon nanomaterials represent one of the most diverse classes of materials with exceptional range of properties, which make them suitable for applications in widespread areas of research. There is an incisive need to look for new carbon nanostructures via sustainable and low-cost methods realizing their role in energy and environmental applications. Most of the conventional preparation strategies involve energy intensive conditions and hence high cost of production. In this regard, green synthesis of carbon nanomaterials via cost-effective strategies derives great relevance. Natural resources, particularly biomass; waste residues like industrial effluents and plastics can generate carbon nanomaterials. This review presents some of the recent advances in the synthesis of various carbon nanomaterials from sustainable resources and outlines their applications in energy storage, environmental remediation and purification.