Overview on Photoreforming of Biomass Aqueous Solutions to Generate H₂ in the Presence of g-C₃N₄-Based Materials

Abstract

Photoreforming (PR) of biomass can be considered a viable technology under mild experimental conditions to produce hydrogen with a high reaction rate using compounds from renewable resources and waste materials. The application of biomass PR gives rise to both hydrogen generation and biomass waste valorization. The process could be scaled up to obtain hydrogen under natural sunlight irradiation, and research on polymeric carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalysts has been widely carried out in recent years. The non-metallic-based carbon nitride materials are economical and (photo)stable polymer semiconductors, and their physicochemical surface and electronic properties are optimal for obtaining H2, which can be considered a gas that does not cause major environmental problems. Some hindrances related to their structure, such as the low absorption of visible light and the relatively high recombination rate of electron-hole pairs, restrict the performance; therefore, it is necessary to improve their activity and the yield of the reaction by modifying them in various ways. Various types of solutions have been proposed in this regard, such as, for example, their coupling with other semiconductors to form composite materials. The current mini-review aims to overview the PR field, reporting some of the most interesting papers devoted to understanding the role of g-C3N4 in biomass PR. Information on many physico-chemical aspects related to the performance of the process and possible ways to obtain better results than those present up to now in the literature will be reported.

Keywords

• polymeric carbon nitride
• C₃N₄
• H₂
• hydrogen production
• photoreforming
• biomass