Abstract
Renewable energy, especially biofuels has the potential to supplement a part of the existing fossil based transportation fuels. Biofuels such as bioethanol can be produced from established glucose fermentation processes, however the cheap and efficient production of glucose is a hindering factor. Glucoses’ polymer cellulose is locked within the world’s most abundant organic matter – lignocellulose, which could be utilised for this purpose. The amphiphilic recalcitrant nature of cellulose due to its high crystallinity and inter and intramolecular hydrogen bonds make it difficult to valorise. A cheap and efficient pre-treatment method is therefore necessary to facilitate its effective utilisation. This chapter discusses mainly, the potential of an advanced oxidation process such as photocatalysis, for cellulose pre-treatment and conversion. While there is limited research in this field so far, this chapter tries to capture the recent advancements that have been made. Additionally, to maximise the effectiveness and sugar yields, a novel cellulose II photocatalytic process is also discussed. Overall, this chapter encompasses in detail, works relating to renewable energy and sugar generation from cellulose polymorphs via photocatalysis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Metal, Metal-Oxides and Metal Sulfides for Batteries, Fuel Cells, Solar Cells, Photocatalysis and Health Sensors |
| Editors | Saravanan Rajenran, Hassan Karimi-Maleh, Jiaqian Qin, Eric Lichtfouse |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Pages | 1-34 |
| Number of pages | 34 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-030-63790-3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 4 May 2021 |
Keywords
- Cellulose polymorph
- Renewable energy
- Cellulose photocatalysis
