Facile selective hydrogenation of bio-based furfural to furfuryl alcohol via a ZIF-67-derived Co-based catalyst

A stable, low-cost, and reusable Co nanoparticles catalyst imbedded in nitrogen-doped carbon matrix (Co@C-N) for selective catalytic hydrogenation (CHG) of furfural (FF) to furfuryl alcohol (FA) has been exploited. The catalyst is directly derived from 2-methylimidazole modified ZIF-67 MOFs (MOFs = metal–organic frameworks) by thermolysis. The Co@C-N catalytic system features 100% FF conversion and 85.6% FA selectivity under 2 MPa initial hydrogen pressure at 145 °C in ethanol solvent after 2 h. Co@C-N is also appropriate for scale-up catalytic hydrogenation of FF and is versatile for aromatic aldehydes as well as other aldehyde compounds, giving their corresponding alcohols in good to excellent selectivities. After the reaction, the Co@C-N could be facile recovery with an external magnetic field and reused for 6 reaction cycles without obvious deactivation of its catalytic properties. This protocal may form the basis for developing a new class of carbon matrix nanocatalyst with potential applications in sustainable catalysis fields.