Advanced Heterogeneous Catalysts for Sustainable Chemical Transformations: From Biomass Valorization to Clean Energy

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomass Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 21 October 2026 | Viewed by 349

Special Issue Editor

School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Interests: nanomaterials; catalysis; kinetics and mechanisms of reactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable chemical transformations are essential for addressing global challenges related to energy, resources and the environment. Advanced heterogeneous catalysts play a crucial role in enabling efficient and selective processes for biomass valorization and clean energy conversion. Rational catalyst design through engineering and controlled composition, structure, porosity, and active sites, has significantly improved catalytic performance, stability, and sustainability. As a result, applications involving the conversion of renewable biomass into fuels and value-added chemicals, as well as clean energy technologies such as hydrogen production, CO₂ utilization, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis, have been actively explored as key pathways toward a low-carbon future. This Special Issue invites original research articles and reviews focusing on the synthesis, characterization, structure–activity relationships and mechanistic insights of advanced heterogeneous catalysts and related chemical reactions. By integrating developments from biomass-based processes to energy-related catalysis, this Special Issue aims to highlight recent progress and emerging directions toward sustainable catalytic technologies.

Dr. Eng-Poh Ng
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • heterogeneous catalysis
  • biomass valorization
  • clean energy catalysis
  • energy-related catalysis
  • green chemical processes

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

31 pages, 1867 KB  
Review
Microwave-Assisted Biomass Pyrolysis to Hydrocarbons: A Review of Catalyst Evolution from Single-Function to Multi-Site Composites
by Shengxian Xian, Jiurun Liu and Qing Xu
Catalysts 2026, 16(5), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16050450 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 145
Abstract
Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) has emerged as a revolutionary technology for converting solid waste into high-value hydrocarbons. However, conventional pyrolysis and traditional single-function catalysts often face an inevitable “performance trade-off” involving severe mass transfer resistance, poor microwave absorption, and rapid coking. This review systematically [...] Read more.
Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) has emerged as a revolutionary technology for converting solid waste into high-value hydrocarbons. However, conventional pyrolysis and traditional single-function catalysts often face an inevitable “performance trade-off” involving severe mass transfer resistance, poor microwave absorption, and rapid coking. This review systematically summarizes the recent evolution of catalyst design toward advanced multi-site composites. It highlights the synergistic mechanisms of integrating microwave-responsive cores, hierarchical pore networks, and metal-acid bifunctional sites to achieve ultrafast localized heat transfer, targeted bond cleavage, and in-situ coking suppression. Furthermore, this paper critically examines current bottlenecks in scaling MAP to industrial levels. To address these challenges, we discuss emerging solutions, including hydrogen-enriched co-pyrolysis, non-destructive in-situ regeneration, and the integration of machine learning frameworks for intelligent process optimization. Full article
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