Scalable Photocatalyst Panels for Photoreforming of Plastic, Biomass and Mixed Waste in Flow

Solar-driven reforming uses sunlight and a photocatalyst to generate H-2 fuel from waste at ambient temperature and pressure. However, it faces practical scaling challenges such as photocatalyst dispersion and recyclability, competing light absorption by the waste solution, slow reaction rates and low conversion yields. Here, the immobilisation of a noble-metal-free carbon nitride/nickel phosphide (CNx|Ni2P) photocatalyst on textured glass is shown to overcome several of these limitations. The 1 cm(2) CNx|Ni2P panels photoreform plastic, biomass, food and mixed waste into H-2 and organic molecules with rates comparable to those of photocatalyst slurries. Furthermore, the panels enable facile photocatalyst recycling and novel photoreactor configurations that prevent parasitic light absorption, thereby promoting H-2 production from turbid waste solutions. Scalability is further verified by preparing 25 cm(2) CNx|Ni2P panels for use in a custom-designed flow reactor to generate up to 21 mu mol(H)2 m(-2) h(-1) under real-world (seawater, low sunlight) conditions. The application of inexpensive and readily scalable CNx|Ni2P panels to photoreforming of a variety of real waste streams provides a crucial step towards the practical deployment of this technology.

Automated summary

Solar-driven reforming technology utilizes a photocatalyst to generate H-2 fuel from waste, facing challenges such as photocatalyst dispersion, light absorption competition, slow reaction rates, and low conversion yields. The immobilization of CNx|Ni2P photocatalyst on textured glass is shown to overcome these limitations, achieving efficient waste conversion.