Study on the synergistic hydrogen production performance and mechanism of NiO/WO3-biochar composite material in the photocatalytic 5-hydroxymethylfurfural conversion to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

In this work, a simple hydrothermal synthesis method is used to prepare photocatalytic NiO/WO 3 -biochar composite material, which is applied to catalyze the one-step conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid with synergistic hydrogen production . The optoelectronic properties of NiO/WO 3 -biochar composite material are characterized. The results indicate that the p-n heterojunction-coupled biochar structure between NiO and WO 3 in the NiO/WO 3 -biochar composite is an important prerequisite for ensuring the one-step oxidation reaction of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. The experimental results reveal the possible reaction pathways. Under the optimal ratio of NiO/WO 3 -biochar composite material, the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural conversion rate reaches 100%, the 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid yield reaches 99.6%, and the Faraday efficiency of hydrogen evolution is 98%. This study provides a new approach for the one-step photocatalytic synthesis of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, as well as a novel and efficient catalyst for photocatalytic oxidation technology. • NiO/WO 3 -biochar composite is successfully prepared. • Mechanism of hydrogen production by photocatalytic reaction of straw is analyzed. • HMF undergoes photocatalytic one-step oxidation to FDCA with 99.6% efficiency.