CeO2 Promoted Ni/Al2O3 Catalyst for the Enhanced Hydrogenolysis of Glucose to 1,2-Propanediol Performance

The selective hydrogenolysis of glucose into 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PG) constitutes a significant yet challenging transformation in biomass valorization, as it involves a highly coupled network of isomerization, C-C bond cleavage, and hydrogenation steps. Herein, a highly efficient Ni-CeO2catalyst supported by basic Al2O3is developed via a urea-assisted precipitation strategy. Systematic catalytic evaluation and comprehensive characterization reveal that this synthesis method markedly enhances Ni dispersion and hydrogen activation capacity, while CeO2modification modulates the electronic state of Ni and introduces strong Lewis basic sites associated with oxygen vacancies. The synergistic interplay between Ni and CeO2effectively promotes glucose isomerization and retro-aldol condensation while maintaining sufficient hydrogenation activity. As a result, the optimized catalyst achieves a 1,2-PG yield of 45.1% with over 99% glucose conversion under optimal hydrothermal reaction conditions. Moreover, the catalyst exhibits relatively stable catalytic performance over four consecutive runs. This work elucidates key structure–activity relationships in multifunctional Ni-based catalysts and provides design principles for efficient biomass-derived polyol production.