Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol over Nickel Supported Bentonite Catalyst

Abstract In this work, nickel‐supported bentonite catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation method followed by activation and reduction. The nickel catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity for hydrogenation of furfural with 98 % selectivity towards furfuryl alcohol. In addition, various reaction parameters such as temperature, time, catalyst loading, solvents, and catalyst recycling, were optimized to enhance furfural conversion and furfuryl alcohol selectivity.