Reforming of Soluble Biomass and Plastic Derived Waste Using a Bias-Free Cu30Pd70|Perovskite|Pt Photoelectrochemical Device

Abstract

The production of clean fuels and chemicals from waste feedstocks is an appealing approach towards creating a circular economy. However, waste photoreforming commonly employs particulate photocatalysts, which display low product yields, selectivity, and reusability. Here, a perovskite-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) device is reported, which produces H2 fuel and simultaneously reforms waste substrates. A novel Cu30Pd70 oxidation catalyst is integrated in the PEC device to generate value-added products using simulated solar light, achieving 60–90% product selectivity and ≈70–130 µmol cm−2 h−1 product formation rates, which corresponds to 102–104 times higher activity than conventional photoreforming systems. The single-light absorber device offers versatility in terms of substrate scope, sustaining unassisted photocurrents of 4–9 mA cm−2 for plastic, biomass, and glycerol conversion, in either a two-compartment or integrated “artificial leaf” configuration. These configurations enable an effective reforming of non-transparent waste streams and facile device retrieval from the reaction mixture. Accordingly, the presented PEC platform provides a proof-of-concept alternative towards photoreforming, approaching more closely the performance and versatility required for commercially viable waste utilization.