Biomass valorisation over metal-based solid catalysts from nanoparticles to single atoms

Abstract

Metal size and speciation strongly impact catalyst efficiency and robustness in biomass upgrading through redox and acid-mediated reactions, with the full potential of single atoms and low-nuclearity species still to be unlocked by future research.

Solar-driven valorisation of glycerol on BiVO4 photoanodes: effect of co-catalyst and reaction media on reaction selectivity

“…glycerol) is an emerging eld with enormous potential for the production of hydrogen and value added chemicals. 13,14 While the splitting of water into H 2 and O 2 is highly endothermic (DG ¼ 237 kJ mol À1 ), requiring a minimum cell voltage of DE ¼ 1.23 V, 12 supplemented by the reaction overpotential (typically >0.5 V to achieve industrially relevant current densities), the dehydrogenative reforming of abundant carbohydrates or alcohols requires a relatively low external energy input. 15 Moreover, the products of the partial oxidation of organic feedstocks can be of high market value (for instance, dihydroxyacetone is used in the cosmetics industry).…”

Lignin Compounds to Monoaromatics: Selective Cleavage of C−O Bonds over a Brominated Ruthenium Catalyst

“…Hydrogenolysis of C−O bonds is favored on the edge and corner sites ,[14] while hydrogenation of aromatic rings proceeds over the continuous sites on the terrace (Figure 1). [1b, 14b, 15] In order to prevent the hydrogenation of aromatic rings, selective poisoning of the terrace sites could be considered as a possible strategy [16] . Simon et al.…”

New (and Old) Monomers from Biorefineries to Make Polymer Chemistry More Sustainable

“…In this regard, biorefinery is refining/upgrading the renewable feedstocks (biomass, ideally nonedible lignocellulosic biomass) to yield commodity chemicals and possibly a biofuel by means of chemical and biological conversion technologies. [ 3–12 ]…”