Biomass-derived porous carbon materials: Synthesis and catalytic applications

Abstract

Novel biomass-derived porous carbons are attractive candidates for the preparation of carbon-supported catalysts with a wide range of catalytic applications. Such carbonaceous catalysts are environmentally benign and could provide a cost-competitive advantage as compared to existing heterogeneous catalysts. Tunable surface properties of carbon materials and excellent physical properties (e.g., hydrophobicity, chemically inert nature, etc.) are compatible with diverse catalysis reactions including organic transformations, as well as electro- and photochemical processes in aqueous solutions. This contribution provides an overview on the utilization of different biomass feedstocks and/or biomass-derived precursors for the synthesis of carbonaceous materials to design advanced catalytic systems and their emerging applications in catalysis.