LAUSR

The selective upconversion of 5-hydroxymethyfurfural (HMF), a biomass derived platform molecule to value added chemicals can ease the burden on petroleum based fine chemical synthesis. The active contribution of renewable energy sources along with low cost, environment friendly and simple reaction systems must be adopted for better sustainability. In this context, photocatalytic selective hydrogenation of HMF to 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) is achieved over P25 Titania nanoparticles without chemical squander. Simultaneously the photo-oxidation of p-methoxybenzyl alcohol (MeOBA) to p-methoxybenzaldehyde (MeOBaL) similar to biomass-derived vanillin is carried out abolishing the need of additional redox reagents. This system put forwards the competent employment of photogenerated excitons for the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass to fine chemicals which is an urgent requirement for sustainable chemical synthesis.