Selective production of dihydroxyacetone and glyceric acid from glycerol photo-oxidation

Alkalized CN photocatalyst with potassium doping is rationally designed to realize selective co-production of dihydroxyacetone and glyceric acid, resulting in >70 % glycerol conversion and >70 % total selectivity from glycerol photo-oxidation process. • The alkalized CN with K doping is synthesized via a facile calcination process. • Co-production of dihydroxyacetone and glyceric acid via glycerol photo-oxidation. • Glycerol conversion (>80 %) and co-production selectivity (>70 %) can be achieved. • Superior performance of modified CN for glycerol oxidation is demonstrated by DFT. The emergence of biomass valorization holds great promise in tackling the energy crisis and promote carbon neutrality. Mild and cost-effective photocatalysis offers notable advantages in terms of energy efficiency, environmentally friendly, and facile processes. Here, we demonstrate selective glycerol photo-oxidation for dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and glyceric acid (GLA) co-production by strategically engineering potassium-doped alkalized polymeric carbon nitride (CN). The altered CN demonstrates promoted absorption of visible light, increased efficiency in separating charges, and superior deprotonating functionality of glycerol. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further certificate its superior performance for glycerol oxidation into DHA and GLA. As a result, the rationally-constructed CN achieves exceptional glycerol conversion (>70 %) and maintains total selectivity of DHA and GLA (>70 %) at room temperature. This study showcases the viability of selective glycerol photo-oxidation for co-production of high-value chemicals under mild operating conditions.