Recent Advances in Biomass-Based Photocatalytic H2 Production and Efficient Photocatalysts: A Review

Biomass as a widely distributed and renewable carbon source plays a unique role in solving the increasing greenhouse gas emission problem and the rapid consumption of nonrenewable fossil fuels. The photocatalytic technique is another attractive approach to address the above issues due to the direct utilization of solar power as the energy source. The combination of biomass and photocatalytic technologies provides a novel alternative concerning environmental and renewable energy issues. Recently, fast-growing interests have been focused on this subject, and milestones have been achieved. Hence, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent progress in this newly emerged field. This review mainly focuses on photocatalyst preparation and photocatalytic hydrogen production by using renewable biomass, biomass derivatives, and biowaste as a resource. We expect that this review will inspire readers to develop further applications of biomass and biowaste in photocatalysis for energy and environmental issues.