Heterogeneous catalysis plays a key role for the development of new routes for sustainable energy. This lecture will present some examples in this field in relation to short and long term sustainable energy scenarios. The first case regards the effort towards new chemocatalytic 2nd generation biorefineries using waste lignocellulosic materials, and in particular the issues of developing solid catalysts for environmentally-friendly new routes for converting cellulose to furfural platform molecules, and the conversion of the latter to gasoline or biodiesel components. The second example regards the development of catalysts to produce solar fuels, and in particular the use of titania thin films to produce hydrogen by water photoelectrolysis or photoreforming of waste solutions from agro-food production. The third example regards the issue of addressing greenhouse gas emissions, and in particular the possibility of catalytically converting CO2 back to fuels using solar energy.

Heterogeneous catalysis for sustainable energy

240th National Meeting (2010)

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