Green catalysis for environmental purification and carbon resource utilization

The field of green catalysis has rapidly evolved as a central pillar in achieving the global transition toward carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability. Persistent organic pollutants—including airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), antibiotics, and endocrine disruptors—remain major ecological and health hazards. Meanwhile, the growing need to reduce anthropogenic CO₂ emissions has spurred the dual strategy of capturing CO₂ and converting it into value-added chemicals or fuels. Alongside, the selective valorization of lignocellulosic biomass and the generation of green hydrogen through renewable routes have emerged as key components of a circular carbon economy. Recent developments in single-atom and cluster catalysts, defect-engineered semiconductors, metal-organic and covalent organic frameworks (MOFs/COFs), and heterostructured materials have opened unprecedented possibilities for efficient pollutant removal and carbon conversion under mild and energy-saving conditions. Despite these advances, a comprehensive understanding of structure–activity relationships, stability under realistic conditions, and the interplay between pollutant degradation and resource recovery remains limited—necessitating integrative studies at the intersection of environmental chemistry, catalysis, and materials science.This Research Topic aims to bring together pioneering work that advances green catalysis to address the interlinked challenges of environmental purification, sustainable carbon management, and clean energy production. It seeks contributions that design and apply catalytic systems capable of removing VOCs and recalcitrant water contaminants via thermo-, electro-, or photocatalytic pathways, achieving complete mineralization or selective defluorination. In parallel, the Topic welcomes research on integrated CO₂ capture and hydrogenation systems that enable catalytic CO₂ conversion to platform chemicals and fuels—including methanol, methane, and light olefins—as well as on catalytic approaches for biomass depolymerization and transformation into renewable hydrocarbons. In the realm of renewable hydrogen generation, emphasis is placed on developments in photocatalytic and electrocatalytic water splitting, light-harvesting enhancement, interfacial charge separation, and reaction mechanism elucidation. Across all themes, studies that integrate in-situ/operando spectroscopy, isotopic tracing, and computational modeling to clarify reaction pathways and structure–function correlations are encouraged. The ultimate goal is to foster knowledge that connects pollutant abatement, CO₂ utilization, and hydrogen production under the unifying concept of green catalysis, thereby supporting the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future.This Research Topic is positioned at the intersection of environmental chemistry, sustainable catalysis, and carbon recycling. It welcomes original research, reviews, and mini-reviews that contribute to the design, understanding, and application of catalytic systems in these domains. The topic covers, but is not limited to, the following key themes:Catalytic degradation of VOCs: Low-temperature oxidation via thermal, photocatalytic, or plasma-assisted systems, with emphasis on selectivity and by-product control.Remediation of emerging water pollutants: Electrocatalytic and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), reductive defluorination, and adsorption–catalysis tandem methods.CO₂ capture and hydrogenation: Coupled capture–conversion systems using thermo-, electro-, or photo-driven routes; sorbent–catalyst dual-functional materials for selective C₁–C₂⁺ product formation.Biomass valorization: Catalytic depolymerization and upgrading of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose into furanic compounds, polyols, or bio-derived fuels.Green hydrogen production: Photocatalytic and electrocatalytic water splitting, cocatalyst and heterojunction optimization, and mechanistic studies of interfacial charge dynamics.Catalyst architecture and mechanism: Development of single-atom catalysts, MOFs/COFs, and defect-engineered oxides supported by in-situ/operando characterization (DRIFTS, XAS, Raman) and DFT studies. Topic editors: Xiangbo Feng, Chi He, Jun ZHAO, Kongzhai Li, Zheng Jiang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81553/green-catalysis-for-environmental-purification-and-carbon-resource-utilization