Recent advances in the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol over heterogeneous catalysts

Abstract

Catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) has recently emerged as a highly attractive approach for achieving biomass-based hydrogenation due to its avoidance of high-pressure fossil-derived H₂ and potentially reduced process costs. As numerous studies relating to the CTH of furfural (FF) have been reported recently, it is quite urgent to systematically review the recent advances, especially those in which excellent catalytic performance is achieved over simple solid acid–base catalysts. In this review, recent advances relating to the CTH of FF over heterogeneous catalysts, including metal catalysts and solid acid–base catalysts, are extensively summarized. Some potential research trends for the design of more effective catalysts and the realization of the practical industrial production of furfuryl alcohol (FFA) via CTH are also proposed. As acidic or basic sites always play an important role during biomass conversion, the great progress made in the area of CTH also provides great potential for other reactions, especially reductive functionalization.