Brine spill is a serious problem in North Dakota (ND) from the oil and gas industry. The high concentration of salt at hundreds of grams per liter can have a highly negative impact on soil and groundwater quality. Only in the first two weeks of 2024, there have been five cases of brine spills in ND. Among the treatment technologies, one of the most realistic, reliable, and efficient technologies is adsorption through functionalized materials. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are emerging advanced materials that feature excellent physical and chemical properties, which can be used for brine remediation. Therefore, we proposed to utilize soybean fiber waste to produce CQDs to adsorb and extract both sodium and chloride ions in brine-contaminated groundwater. Briefly, soybean fiber or other materials are processed by hydrothermal treatment and mixed with activators to enhance the generation of active functional groups. Then, these powers will be pressed to form an immobilized material for practical treatment. The prepared novel materials will also be characterized by a wide range of advanced instruments to demonstrate their excellent properties. Lastly, both simulated and real brine solutions will be treated with CQD materials from soybean waste. Major benefits include exploring a new application for soybean waste to produce high-value material, applying soybean-based material for brine treatment that is in value of billions of dollars, and expanding new lands for soybean production.