Photocatalytic biomass conversion for hydrogen and renewable carbon-based chemicals

Biomass is a renewable hydrogen and carbon source, and it is of interest to use as a sustainable resource. Solar-driven photocatalysis has been recognized as a potentially feasible technology for the extraction of hydrogen from biomass to produce molecular hydrogen. Traditionally the carbon content in biomass has been degraded to carbon dioxide, but increasing efforts aim to produce value-added carbon chemicals instead. This perspective summarizes existing strategies for the photocatalytic coproduction of hydrogen and renewable carbon-based chemicals (H2 + Cx) and analyzes reforming routes to H2 + CO, controlled oxidation to aldehydes, and dehydrocoupling to form dimer complexes. Hydrogen is a clean burning fuel, and the as-formed Cx compounds can be used as value-added fine chemicals, fuels, or precursors. Future visions on scientific, technological, and economic issues for biomass-derived hydrogen and carbon-compound evolution are put forward to determine research focus areas in the coming decades.