Research progress in catalytic hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol

Biomass is an abundant renewable resource with great conversion potential. It can be processed into a variety of high-value-added products such as chemicals, biofuels and advanced materials, and has become an important raw material in the chemical and energy fields. Against the backdrop of fossil energy shortages and growing environmental pressure, the efficient utilization of biomass has emerged as a research hotspot. Furfural （FAL） and furfuryl alcohol （FOL） are typical biomass-derived platform compounds, which act as key intermediates connecting raw biomass and the biorefining industry. This review focuses on the reaction mechanism underlying the catalytic hydrogenation of FAL to FOL, examining recent advances in hydrogenation catalysts, hydrogen donors, solvent systems, and reaction temperature optimization. Meanwhile, the development trends of this research field are summarized and prospected.