Review on Catalytic Hydrogenation of Biomass-Derived Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol: Recent Advances and Future Trends

Biomass is one of the highly abundant renewable resources available that can be converted into several high-value-added products, including chemicals, biofuels, and advanced materials. To achieve net-zero emissions and improve biomass application, researchers around the world have recently focused on expanding biomass processing techniques to value-added products with the eventual goal of industrializing some of the products. In this review, we summarize lignocellulosic biomass derived furfural (FA) and its subsequent hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol (FAL). This work reviews the various types of hydrogenation catalysts and their utility in the production of value-added products from FA. There will be an increase in the demand for selective catalysts and process technologies, as well as an increase in the challenges during valorization, as the usage of biomass to achieve carbon neutrality increases. The review aims to provide a concise overview of the advancements in this field and the potential for sustainable FAL production. In this paper, we present a simple strategy for selecting catalyst systems and associated process parameters that facilitate the highly efficient and selective valorization of FA to chemicals or fuel (bioadditives) for industrial use.