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Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass with Low-cost Ionic Liquids
Published on: August 10, 2016
Photoreforming of Lignocellulose into H2 Using Nanoengineered Carbon Nitride under Benign Conditions
Hatice Kasap1, Demetra S Achilleos1, Ailun Huang1
1Christian Doppler Laboratory for Sustainable SynGas Chemistry, Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , Lensfield Road , Cambridge CB2 1EW , U.K.
Abstract:
Photoreforming of lignocellulose is a promising approach toward sustainable H2 generation, but this kinetically challenging reaction currently requires UV-absorbing or toxic light absorbers under harsh conditions. Here, we report a cyanamide-functionalized carbon nitride, NCNCNx, which shows enhanced performance upon ultrasonication. This activated NCNCNx allows for the visible-light driven conversion of purified and raw lignocellulose samples into H2 in the presence of various proton reduction cocatalysts. The reported room-temperature photoreforming process operates under benign aqueous conditions (pH ≈ 2-15) without the need for toxic components.
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