Photocatalytic biomass conversion

The solid gas liquid (ie., S G L) path denotes a general route of converting biomass solid into gas-phase molecules first, and then the gas molecules are combined to form liquid fuels. The approaches following the S -> G L path include gasification, aqueous phase reforming, and photocatalytic conversion. 

Photocatalytic conversion uses sunlight to convert biomass feedstocks into H2 or liquid fuels, and is usually performed at room temperature. The cost could be potentially lower than other methods, since abundant sunlight is used as an energy source for the eonversion. However, the photocatalytic conversion efficiency from biomass to H2 is still low (1%). New photocatalysts need to be developed to improve the efficiency ... 

Figure 7.5 Proposed mechanism for photocatalytic conversion of biomass feedstocks to hydrogen on a Pt/Ti02 photocatalyst. ...

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