Photocatalytic upgradation of Biomass derived precursors to Fuels and value added Chemicals A roadmap for Sustainability

Abstract

newline Abstract newlineThe expansion of industrialization to meet the ever-increasing energy demand for the newlineGrowing population has burdened the limited fossil fuel sources. These readily available newlineHydrocarbon based combusted fuel for energy and non-combusted fuel for chemicals took newlineMillions of years, which could approximately last only for the next 50 100 years unless new newlineReserves being found. In addition to its confined reserves, the extensive consumption of these newlineNon-renewable sources has increased atmospheric co 2 concentration leading to serious newlineEnvironmental crisis. Taking into consideration the current global energy supply dependency newlineOn fossil fuels to fulfill vast energy demand, the shift towards renewable and abundant newlineSources for energy and chemical supply is imperative. Solar to fuels or photon energy to newlineChemical energy via mimicking natural photosynthesis provides key in solving the present newlineFossil fuel crisis. Besides sunlight as green energy source, non-edible biomass serves as clean newlineAnd copious chemical feedstock to generate liquid fuels and commodity chemicals. Moving newlineForward in this direction by integrating light energy and chemical feedstock over a newlinePhotocatalytic system to produce green fuel and fine chemicals could be a game changer newlineTowards sustainable development. newlineTherefore, present thesis focuses on deployment of different semiconducting materials newlineWith nano dimensional structures and the light based induction of charge carriers with their newlineEffective consumption for redox transformations. The red-ox potentials of photogenerated newlineExcitons were utilized for the upgradation of non-edible biomass-derived precursors to newlineRenewable fuels and high value-added products under benign conditions. In our first work, the newlinePhotocatalytic oxidation of alicyclic hydrocarbon based alcohol I.E. Cyclohexanol to its newlineCorresponding aldehyde (cyclohexanone) using molecular o 2 as is demonstrated . The newlineOxidation occurred as combined effect of photogenerated charge carriers (h + and e and#8722; ) over o- newlineDeficient wo 3and#8722;x nanorods an