A Review on Biomass‐Derived Carbon Quantum Dots: Emerging Catalysts for Hydrogenation Catalysis

Abstract The circular economy and the depletion of Earth's resources highlight the need to transform waste into value‐added emerging materials like carbon quantum dots (CQDs), which show great promise in energy storage, catalysis, and other applications. The production of catalytically active CQDs from biomass garners significant attention due to their unique advantages, such as ease of availability, natural abundance, renewability, low cost, and environmental friendliness. This review addresses the synthesis of CQDs from biomass, the factors influencing their properties and performance, and their diverse applications in catalytic hydrogenation reactions, selective reduction of nitroaromatic compounds, and azo dyes. Recent studies demonstrate that biomass‐derived CQDs exhibit significantly improved catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability, effectively addressing the long‐standing challenges of low activity and poor stability in catalysts derived from conventional sources.