Clean production of lactic acid by selective carbon-carbon bond cleavage of biomass feedstock over a novel carbon-bismuth oxychloride photocatalyst

The use of functional materials such as carbon-bismuth oxyhalides in integrated photorefineries for the clean production of fine chemicals requires restructuring.A facile biomass-assisted solvothermal fabrication of carbon/bismuth oxychloride nanocomposites(C/BiOCl)was achieved at various temperatures.Compared with BiOCl and C/BiOCl-120,C/BiOCl-180 exhibited higher crystallinity,wider visible light absorption,and a faster migration/separation rate of photoinduced carriers.For the selective C–C bond cleavage of biomass-based feedstocks photocatalyzed by C/BiOCl-180,the xylose conversion and lactic acid yield were 100%and 92.5%,respectively.C/BiOCl-180 efficiently converted different biomass-based monosaccharides to lactic acid,and the efficiency of pentoses was higher than that of hexoses.Moreover,lactic acid synthesis was favored by all active radicals including superoxide ion(·O_(2)^(−)),holes(h^(+)),hydroxyl radical(·OH),and singlet oxygen(^(1)O_(2)),with·O_(2)^(−)playing a key role.The fabricated photocatalyst was stable,economical,and recyclable.The use of biomass-derived monosaccharides for the clean production of lactic acid via the C/BiOCl-180 photocatalyst has opened new research horizons for the investigation and application of C–C bond cleavage in biomass-based feedstocks.

Cuprous oxide/copper oxide interpenetrated into ordered mesoporous cellulose-based carbon aerogels for efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

The casual discharge of dyes from industrial settings has seriously polluted global water systems.Owing to the abundance of biomass resources,preparing photocatalysts for photocatalytic degradation of dyes is significant;however,it still remains challenging.In this work,a cuprous oxide/copper oxide composite was interpenetrated onto carbon nanosheets of cellulose-based flexible carbon aerogels(Cu_(2)O/CuO@CAx)via a simple freeze-drying-calcination method.The introduction of the carbon aerogel effectively prevents the aggregation of the cuprous oxide/copper oxide composite.In addition,Cu_(2)O/CuO@CA0.2 has a larger specific surface area,stronger charge transfer capacity,and lower recombination rate of photogenerated carriers than copper oxide.Moreover,Cu_(2)O/CuO@CA0.2 exhibited high photocatalytic activity in decomposing methylene blue,with a degradation rate reaching up to 99.09% in 60 min.The active oxidation species in the photocatalytic degradation process were systematically investigated by electron spin resonance characterization and poisoning experiments,among which singlet oxygen played a major role.In conclusion,this work provides an effective method for preparing photocatalysts using biomass resources in combination with different metal oxides.It also promotes the development of photocatalytic degradation of dyes.