Sustainable Hydrogen Production from Starch Aqueous Suspensions over a Cd0.7Zn0.3S-Based Photocatalyst

We explored the photoreforming of rice and corn starch with simultaneous hydrogen production over a Cd0.7Zn0.3S-based photocatalyst under visible light irradiation. The photocatalyst was characterized by UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The influence of starch pretreatment conditions, such as hydrolysis temperature and alkaline concentration, on the reaction rate was studied. The maximum rate of H-2 evolution was 730 mu mol center dot h(-1)center dot g(-1), with AQE = 1.8% at 450 nm, in the solution obtained after starch hydrolysis in 5 M NaOH at 70 degrees C. The composition of the aqueous phase of the suspension before and after the photocatalytic reaction was studied via high-performance liquid chromatography, and such products as glucose and sodium gluconate, acetate, formate, glycolate, and lactate were found after the photocatalytic reaction.

Automated summary

The photoreforming of rice and corn starch with simultaneous hydrogen production was investigated over a Cd0.7Zn0.3S-based photocatalyst under visible light irradiation. The study focused on the influence of starch pretreatment conditions on the reaction rate. The maximum rate of H-2 evolution was found to be 730 mu mol h(-1) g(-1) in the solution obtained after starch hydrolysis in 5 M NaOH at 70 degrees C.