Electrochemical hydrogenation of biomass-based furfural in aqueous media by Cu catalyst supported on N-doped hierarchically porous carbon

Electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) is a particularly important and environmentally friendly approach to obtain biomass-based fuels and high value-added fine chemicals without using external hydrogen. Herein, we reported a highly efficient and selective ECH of furfural (FF) into furfuryl alcohol (FA) with Cu-based electrocatalyst in aqueous alkaline media. Under the optimal conditions, FA selectivity close to 100% with 99% FF conversion and total Faradaic efficiency above 95% were obtained with the electro-catalyst. Mechanism investigation suggests an ECH mechanism for FA formation, which is highly potential-dependent to FA selectivity, requiring low and well-matched concentrations between active hydrogen (H-ads) species and FA radical on the Cu surface. Moreover, the electrocatalyst shows an excellent stability and recyclability during the eight-time consecutive recycling experiments, yielding a total amount of 1011 mg FA. This work thus highlights an important guidance for electrocatalytic upgrading of biomass-based platform molecules in an environmentally friendly way.

Automated summary

Electrochemical hydrogenation is an important and environmentally friendly method for the selective conversion of furfural into furfuryl alcohol. The use of Cu-based electrocatalyst in alkaline media allows for high FA selectivity and excellent recyclability.