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Challenges of a Green Future
Abstract
In the book Nature’s Economy, the intellectual historian and writer Donald Worster describes how humans’ view of nature has been bookended by two different intellectual traditions through the centuries: Arcadianism and imperialism. The idea of Arcadia is inspired by humans’ desire to live in harmony with nature, while imperialism represents the equally human urge to dominate it. Most of us are torn between the two, dreaming about and striving for harmony with nature, yet in our actions we are utter imperialists.
Conversion of biomass to fuel and drop-in chemicals is envisaged to solve the problem of depleting fossil fuel reserves while leveling-off the staggering CO2 concentration. By-passing the natural carbon cycle via the transformation of abundant lignocellulosic biomass into chemicals does not add any extra CO2 to the environment and the net CO2 concentration remains the same. The paradigm shifts from fossil fuel-based chemicals to biomass-derived products will rely on efficient and cost-effective catalysts that can compete with cheap and readily available fossil fuels. Existing transition and noble metal-based nanoparticle catalysts either in the supported or unsupported form are crippling due to poor activity/selectivity, deactivation of catalytically active sites, and the complex composition, recalcitrant nature, and high moisture content of biomass. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) possessing single-atom centers decorated on support have shown great promise in biomass conversion due to their unique geometric configuration, electronic properties, and ensemble effect. In contrast to traditional catalytic systems, SACs encompass the advantages of both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts with improved performance and easy recyclability. Because of the availability of each metal center for the reaction and unique geometrical configuration, SACs have displayed exceptional catalytic activity and selectivity (~95% in most cases). In addition, the SACs show increased thermal and chemical stability due to the stabilization of the metal center on the support. The present chapter highlights the various aspects of SACs for efficient and selective biomass conversion into drop-in chemicals.
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