The depletion of fossil fuel requires the search for alternative renewable feedstock and environmentally friendly methods for the production of high value-added compounds and fuels. In this context, the efficient use of biomass has emerged as a significant research field as it represents an alternative green and renewable carbon source. Various technologies have been explored for this purpose and heterogeneous photocatalysis represents a valid alternative to the catalytic methods since it can be carried out under mild experimental conditions without the addition of harmful oxidizing agents. Different biomass components have been used as the starting materials, and many valuable chemicals have been obtained with different selectivity depending on some experimental conditions as, for instance, type of photocatalyst, solvent, and physico-chemical features of the catalysts. Moreover, by carrying out the reaction in de-aerated systems, in addition to high added value compounds, hydrogen can be obtained in the gaseous phase. In particular, photocatalytic conversion of lignocellulose, carbohydrates, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural and glycerol (considering only the partial oxidation products) is reported.

化石燃料的枯竭需要寻找替代的可再生原料和环境友好的方法来生产高附加值的化合物和燃料。在这种情况下，生物质的有效利用已成为重要的研究领域，因为它代表了替代性的绿色和可再生碳源。为此目的已经探索了各种技术，并且多相光催化代表了催化方法的有效替代，因为它可以在温和的实验条件下进行而无需添加有害的氧化剂。不同的生物质组分已被用作起始原料，并且根据某些实验条件（例如光催化剂的类型，溶剂，和催化剂的理化特性。此外，通过在脱气系统中进行反应，除了高附加值的化合物外，还可以在气相中获得氢气。特别地，报道了木质纤维素，碳水化合物，5-羟甲基-2-糠醛和甘油（仅考虑部分氧化产物）的光催化转化。