Electroplating sludge-derived magnetic copper-containing catalysts for selective hydrogenation of bio-based furfural

A series of inexpensive electroplating sludge-derived magnetic copper-containing catalysts were developed for the selective hydrogenation of biomass-based furfural (FFR) into furfuryl alcohol (FA) and 2-methylfuran (MF). The specific structural characteristics of as-prepared magnetic copper-containing samples were clearly identified through various techniques, including XRD, XPS, N 2 adsorption–desorption, NH 3 -TPD, SEM and so on. The characterizations revealed that the hydrogen pre-activated magnetic catalysts supplied metallic Cu species, medium acidity and porosity for the catalytic upgrading of FFR in hydrogen atmosphere. As for FFR-to-FA as well as FFR-to-MF transformations, the magnetic copper-containing catalyst with calcination temperature of 800 °C exhibited excellent performance towards the formation of FA and MF, wherein desirable FA yield of 98.5 mol% and MF yield of 71.3 mol% were achieved at reaction temperatures of 160 °C and 240 °C, respectively. The reuse experiments indicated that the recycled catalysts still maintained excellent activity and stability even after four-time recycling. The present study thus highlights a new approach for the resource utilization of electroplating sludge, which also supplies low-cost and efficient catalytic materials for the selective upgrading of various biomass-derived platform molecules.