Valorization of Gentamicin Mycelial Residues: CuCe/GMRC Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenation of Biobased Furfural

Gentamicin mycelial residues (GMRs), hazardous organic wastes from antibiotic production, contain various valuable components, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and amino acids, making them an excellent nitrogen-rich feedstock for material synthesis. Here, we propose a strategy by utilizing GMRs as the sole nitrogen-rich carbon source to prepare Cu-based catalysts, which are employed in the catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) of furfural (FFR). The catalytic performance was enhanced by trace amounts of Ce doping. Compared to the Cu/GMRC catalyst, the bimetallic CuCe/GMRC-x catalyst exhibited optimized acid–base site distribution and structural properties, resulting in superior efficiency and selectivity toward unsaturated carbonyl compounds. Especially, CuCe/GMRC-0.04 achieved near complete FFR conversion with 97.4% FA selectivity. By integrating experimental data and characterization results, it was further revealed that the critical role of metal sites and acid–base sites in determining the reactivity and product selectivity and potential reaction pathways were proposed. This work provides a sustainable approach to transform hazardous GMRs into valuable catalytic materials, offering insights into the high-value utilization of biomass-derived resources and the environmentally sustainable management of antibiotic mycelial residues.