A new green solvent system can pull 100 percent of the toxins out of walnut waste in a single step.
April 24, 2026
Original Paper
Absolute Detoxification and Safe Valorization of Walnut Green Husk through One-Step Targeted Separation of Toxic Juglone via NADES-SUPRAS Biphasic System
SSRN · 6629274
The Takeaway
Walnut husks are a major agricultural waste product that contains juglone, a chemical that is toxic to plants and animals. This toxic profile makes it difficult to reuse the millions of tons of husks produced every year. A new two-part solvent system can cleanly separate the poison from the valuable nutrients and antioxidants in the husks. This process is highly efficient and uses low-impact chemicals that don't harm the environment. It turns a hazardous waste problem into a source of valuable health supplements and dyes.
From the abstract
Walnut green husk (WGH), a major agro-industrial by-product, poses severe environmental hazards through the continuous leaching of the highly toxic phytotoxin juglone, while simultaneously containing valuable phenolic compounds. The coexistence of these compounds with overlapping polarities makes selective separation via conventional volatile organic solvents unfeasible and environmentally destructive. This work developed a novel natural deep eutectic solvent-based supramolecular solvent/equilib