The synthesis of fuels, fuel additives, commercial and potential products from the platform molecules generated by the hydrolysis of the lignocellulosic biomass is a promising strategy toward the utilization of...

The selective hydrogenation of biomass‐derived levulinic acid (LA) to γ‐valerolactone (GVL) is one of pivotal reactions in many of the biorefinery schemes for the production of value‐added chemicals and biofuels. Herein, we have fabricated carbon‐supported bimetallic NiCo catalysts based on the metal–organic framework (MOF) material via a pyrolysis method. The as‐obtained Ni1Co1 bimetallic catalyst outperforms monometallic counterparts in the catalytic performance of LA‐to‐GVL, with a nearly full conversion of LA and a GVL yield of 95.2%, in particular with an excellent catalyst stability up to seven consecutive runs at 160°C and 4 MPa H2. Based on a combined characterization study by employing advanced techniques, for example, extended x‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), high‐angle annular dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HADDF‐STEM), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), we reveal that the enhanced catalytic performance, in particular the excellent stability, could be attributed to the formation of the bimetallic alloys, which efficiently alleviates the metal leaching and sintering during catalysis.

The selective amination of benzaldehyde (BZH) is one of the important industrial reactions for the production of fine chemicals. Herein, we synthesized a Ru/NiO nanocatalyst with an extremely low loading of noble metals (0.22%) via a facile ball-milling method efficient for the conversion of BZH to N-benzylidenebenzylamine (N-BDB). Compared with the benchmark im-Ru/NiO catalyst prepared via the traditional impregnation (im) method, the Ru/NiO catalyst exhibited the higher yield of N-BDB, with a full conversion of BZH and a 91.5% selectivity to N-BDB in 0.1 MPa NH 3 and 2 MPa H 2 pressure. After that, various parameters that influenced the catalytic performance and potential reaction pathway were investigated. In addition, the catalyst maintained high stability, which could be recycled even for five runs without obvious deactivation. Extensive characterizations verified that the H 2 activation ability of Ru and the overall acidity of the Ru/NiO catalyst were improved, which should account for the superior catalytic performance. This work provides a facile strategy of catalyst synthesis for the selective production of fine chemicals.

The synthesis of fuels and fine chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is the most widely envisioned approach toward the implementation of renewable feedstocks. Significant advances have been made in the selective conversion of biomass-derived platform chemicals. This minireview mainly elucidates the mechanism of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) synthesis, including the dehydration of carbohydrates via acyclic and cyclic mechanisms as well as the Maillard reactions. It also highlights the fundamental aspects of reaction mechanisms, recent progress, and challenges.