Green Science Alliance Made Quantum Dot from Sargassum and Sargassum Waste

KAWANICHI-CITY, Japan, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Science Alliance is the GreenTech Startup company to develop cutting-edge products and technologies for sustainable, carbon neutral society in energy and environmentally friendly green industry field. The company also develops advanced materials called quantum dots - which were the subject of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - as well as various quantum dots, and composite materials of quantum dots with resins and inorganic materials.

Sargassum has been blooming in massive quantities across the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea since around 2011, driven by factors such as rising sea temperatures and nutrient influxes associated with global warming. Large amounts of this seaweed wash ashore and pile up on beaches in Mexico, Latin American countries, and Florida, USA, emitting foul odors and toxic gases. High removal costs and negative impacts on local tourism and fisheries have turned this into a serious social issue. While research has been conducted to apply this Sargassum to animal feed, fertilizers, bioplastics, biofuels, alginates, building insulation, and binders, the reality is that all these methods remain unachieved due to high costs. Additionally, removing toxic heavy metals such as arsenic contained in Sargassum poses a major challenge.

Based on their quantum dots technologies, this time, Dr. Ryohei Mori at Green Science Alliance has successfully synthesized carbon quantum dots from sargassum and sargassum waste. They emit blue light under ultraviolet light illumination.

The synthesized quantum dots are a type of carbon quantum dots, and with their unique optical and physicochemical characteristics, they have potential applications in sensors, bioimaging, catalysts, LEDs, the energy industry, and agriculture. Dr. Ryohei Mori is considering applying quantum dots made from sargassum, especially in the agricultural field. Not limited to sargassum, he has already synthesized quantum dots from waste wood, waste plants, and agricultural residues, confirming their effectiveness as pesticides, mosquito and pest repellents, antibacterial agents, and fertilizers; thus, he begins considering the application of these sargassum-derived quantum dots to such products in a similar manner.

He speculates that the antibacterial and pesticidal effects are caused by the fact that nanoparticles, such as quantum dots, strongly interact with the cell walls and cell membranes of bacteria and fungi due to their ultra-miniature size of just a few nanometers and the presence of functional groups on their surfaces, making them easily permeable into the cells; once inside, they induce gene mutations and reactive oxygen species, ultimately destroying the bacteria and fungi. It also appears to have other effects, such as damaging bacteria by inhibiting their enzyme activity and blocking the production of peptidoglycan. "On the other hand, plant biomass-derived quantum dots made from waste wood, agricultural residues, tea waste, and coffee grounds partially inherit the properties of flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids, catechins, terpenoids, and saponins derived from their raw materials, which may reflect their antibacterial and bactericidal properties. Furthermore, when quantum dots on plant or crop leaves in fields and farms are irradiated with sunlight, the photocatalytic action of the quantum dots generates excited electrons, excitons, and reactive oxygen species, which serve as the cause for exhibiting antibacterial, antifungal, and pesticide effects. This photocatalytic effect may also be the cause of repellency against harmful pests. On the other hand, when using quantum dots as a fertilizer, the quantum dots on the leaf surface can convert ultraviolet light in sunlight into blue or red light—which further accelerates plant growth and photosynthesis—thereby accelerating plant growth.

Green Science Alliance have confirmed that carbon quantum dots derived from organic biomass waste can serve as pesticides, repellents, antibacterial agents, and fertilizers, and they are already proceeding with their commercialization. Therefore, the company plan to similarly commercialize the sargassum-derived carbon quantum dots in this case for applied products.

Quantum Dots.

Quantum dots are extremely tiny man-made nanoparticles typically between 10 to 10000 atoms or molecules (1 to 9 nanometers) in diameter, which is smaller than 1/10000th the width of a human hair. They are sometimes called artificial atoms or molecules. At this size range, the energy levels of electrons are no longer continuous and are separated due to the physical phenomenon known as the quantum confinement effect. The electronic characteristics of quantum dots are determined by quantum confinement effect depending on their chemical composition, size, shape so that the wavelength of emission light depends on those characteristics. The unique properties of quantum dot can be utilized for solar cell, display, bio imaging, photonic crystal, laser, LED, artificial photosynthesis, quantum dot computer and agricultural application etc.

Media Contact:
Ryohei Mori
81-727598501
[email protected]

SOURCE Green Science Alliance Co., Ltd.