Work

Emerging heterogeneous catalysts for biomass conversion: studies of the reaction mechanism

Year: 2021

Type: review

Abstract: the use of cheap, highly abundant, and renewable carbon resources. However, such development is extremely challenging due to the complexity of lignocellulose, and today most biomass is treated simply as waste. The solution lies in the design of multifunctional catalysts that can place effective control on substrate activation and product selectivity. This is, however, severely hindered by the lack of fundamental understanding of (i) the precise role of active sites, and (ii) the catalyst-substrate chemistry that underpins the catalytic activity. Moreover, active sites alone often cannot deliver the desired selectivity of products, and full understanding of the microenvironment of the active sites is urgently needed. Here, we review key recent advances in the study of reaction mechanisms of biomass conversion over emerging heterogeneous catalysts. These insights will inform the design of future catalytic systems showing improved activity and selectivity.

Source: Chemical Society Reviews

DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00039j

Authors: Longfei Lin, Xue Han, Buxing Han, Sihai Yang

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Manchester, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry

Language: English

Topic: Catalysis for Biomass Conversion

Subfield: Catalysis

Field: Chemical Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Royal Society, University of Manchester, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China