TiO₂/Ti₃C₂ intercalated with g-C₃N₄ nanosheets as 3D/2D ternary heterojunctions photocatalyst was fabricated. Its performance of photocatalytic nitrate reduction was enhanced with Z-scheme heterojunction under irradiation.

Fe₂O₃/Al-MCM-41 nanocomposite catalysts were designed and fabricated to upgrade microalgae hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL)-derived biocrude and its model compounds (palmitic acid and glutamic acid) in the absence of hydrogen. The Fe₂O₃/Al-MCM-41 catalysts were prepared by encapsulating Fe₂O₃ particles on highly stable pure silica MCM-41 and Al-MCM-41. XRD, TEM, N₂ adsorption isotherms, XPS, and UV-Vis characterizations of the catalysts revealed that 10–30 nm γ-Fe₂O₃ particles were well dispersed on the mesoporous support. In the range of 320–350 °C and under subcritical water, palmitic acid conversion was improved by 43–54% by the Fe₂O₃/Al-MCM-41 catalyst. The overall reaction rate was first order to palmitic acid for non-catalytic and catalytic conversions, and the activation energy was 336.76 kJ mol⁻¹ for Fe₂O₃/Al-MCM-41. In situ DRIFTS reaction test demonstrated that the initiation temperature for the catalytic decarboxylation of palmitic acid was decreased to 195 °C, and desorption of the produced CO₂ occurred at 255 °C. Based on the GC-MS results of the HTL products, the reaction pathway of the binary mixture of palmitic acid and glutamic acid was elucidated, and the chemical origins of amide, pyrrolidinone, hydroxy-butanoic acid, and pentadecane were proposed.

Photocatalysis exhibits promise in the reduction of nitrates into harmless dinitrogen. Herein, the synthesis of N-doped TiO₂/Ti₃C₂ at a low calcination temperature using NH₄Cl and Ti₃C₂ was reported for the first time. Cationic NH₄ ⁺ was intercalated into the interlayers of Ti₃C₂ and NH₄Cl was self-assembled on the surface of Ti₃C₂. N-doped TiO₂/Ti₃C₂ was in situ synthesized by one-step calcining the Ti₃C₂ MXene and NH₄Cl mixture. The as-prepared composite exhibited excellent activity in the photocatalytic reduction of nitrate. As characterized, the N-dopant added an impurity energy level within the band gap of TiO₂, which was favourable for improving the light absorption ability. Meanwhile, the metallic nature of Ti₃C₂ with a layered structure accelerated the charge transfer between N-TiO₂ and Ti₃C₂, and further facilitated the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Moreover, the addition of formic acid in the solution not only acted as a hole scavenger to produce the reducing agent ·CO₂ ⁻, but also provided extra reactive electrons by generating the charge-transfer-complex between N-TiO₂ and formic acid, which greatly promoted the photocatalytic reduction of nitrate. Notably, NO₃ ⁻ with Lewis basic property was easily adsorbed onto the Lewis acid sites on the surface of N-doped TiO₂/Ti₃C₂ by the electrostatic force. All the above-mentioned superiorities contributed to the greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity of the N-doped TiO₂/Ti₃C₂ composite in the reduction of nitrate. The mechanism has also been proposed based on the testing results.

For medium and low matured shale oil exploration, in situ upgrading could promote the oil recovery. There are two main disadvantages herein, high exploration temperature and large energy consumption. The new approach has been proposed to apply porous aluminosilicate catalysts for shale oil highly efficient upgrading at 350°C, H‐clin and Ni‐clin catalysts were prepared with natural clinoptilolite. Al‐SBA‐15 catalysts were synthesized by following one‐step crystallization procedure, and firstly employed for shale oil in situ upgrading. Kinetic studies of pyrolysis showed that the activation energy of organic matter conversion in shale was reduced from 113.80 kJ mol⁻¹ to 37.28 kJ mol⁻¹. After the catalyst addition, shale oil conversion temperature was declined, the reaction rate was increased, and the energy consumption of in situ upgrading was reduced. In Sinopec patented testing instrument, hydrocarbon generation and hydrocarbon expulsion unit, shale oil catalytic conversion showed increased hydrocarbon generation by 2%‐16%. Under the same reaction conditions, the Al‐SBA‐15 (Si/Al = 5) revealed the best activity for hydrocarbon generation, and the efficiency was elevated to 32.67%, twice as that of thermal conversion. The quality of catalytically produced oil was promoted, by improving the further cracking of bitumen to light oil and gas. The results have a breakthrough significance for intensifying the high‐efficiency hydrocarbon generation and expulsion process of low and medium matured shale oil.