Exploration of optimal reaction conditions on lactic acid production from glucose photoreforming over carbon nitride

Biomass valorization by photoreforming approach provides a promising and alternative strategy to generate value-added chemicals and fuels.In this work,we demonstrate the selective production of lactic acid from glu-cose photoreforming over pristine graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3) N_(4))photocatalyst.Control experiments screen the best condition for the highest yield of lactic acid,including modulating pH,catalyst loading,and reaction time.100%glucose conversion is achieved along with almost 100%lactic acid yield under the optimized con-dition.Density functional theory(DFT)calculations reveal that the rate-determining step(RDS)of the overall reaction on g-C_(3) N_(4) is the conversion of pyruvaldehyde,where an electron transfer takes place.This present work provides experimental insights and theoretical understanding for selective lactic acid production from biomass photoreforming.