Selective conversion of furfural to 2-furfural diethanol over Pt/CeO2 catalyst

The efficient and sustainable transformation of biomass-derived furfural into value-added chemicals is a key challenge in green chemistry. In this study, a series of Pt/CeO 2 catalysts with varying Pt loadings (0.1–2.0 wt%) were synthesized via a carbonization–reduction method and applied for the selective conversion of furfural to 2-furfural diethanol in ethanol under mild conditions. Comprehensive characterization using XRD, XPS, EPR, TEM, and Py-FTIR revealed that the 1.0 wt% Pt/CeO 2 catalyst exhibited optimal properties, including high dispersion of metallic Pt⁰, abundant oxygen vacancies, enriched Ce 3+ species, and dominant Lewis acid sites. Catalytic tests demonstrated that under mild conditions (20 °C, 4  MPa N 2 ), the 1.0 wt% Pt/CeO 2 catalyst achieved the highest yield (92.17 %) and furfural conversion (95.41 %). Mechanistic studies suggest a proposed redox-driven tandem hydrogenation–condensation pathway, where the synergistic effect between Pt⁰ sites and oxygen vacancies facilitates furfural activation, hydrogen transfer, and product formation. This work provides a mechanistic understanding of furfural upgrading over Pt/metal oxide interfaces and offers a promising strategy for the rational design of high-performance catalysts for biomass valorization.