Photo-valorization of biomass into H₂ fuel and value-added chemicals

A sustainable environment is one of the prime challenges researchers and technologists must solve for humanity. Photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion into chemical fuels is a promising solution for human energy needs. In this regard, researchers across the globe have spotted different technologies, including photoelectrochemical water splitting, photoreforming of biomass or plastic waste, and organic-based photovoltaics. Among these, photoelectrochemical water splitting into its constitutional elements, that is, H2 and O2, using hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), is an attractive option. One of the significant challenges is to improve the sluggish kinetics of the OER that makes the whole process highly energy-demanding and economically disadvantaged. However, this could increase by using organic molecules as sacrificial agents. Biomass, which includes all plants and microorganisms, constitutes organic molecules. Biomass could become a source of enhancing H2 fuel activity and organic valuables. Another challenge in the field is the engineering of photocatalysts that can provide suitable bandgap and band edge positions to perform HER and OER. This chapter describes the central mechanistic insight to utilize biomass-aided H2 fuel production and organic valuables using different photocatalysts.