Advances on the catalytic hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

In recent years, the conversion of biomass-derived platform compounds into a variety of high value fuel and chemical products has attracted increasing attention from researchers. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural (FFR) belong to a class of important biomass-derived platform chemicals. The molecular structure of HMF and FFR is consisted of aldehyde group, furan ring and other functional groups, which endow them with unique chemical properties. In this paper, the research advances on the catalytic hydrogenation of HMF and FFR using various hydrogen sources, such as hydrogen, alcohol, silanes and formic acid, have been reviewed in detail. In addition, the main influencing factors like catalyst type and reaction conditions on the hydrogenation process as well as the reaction mechanism are discussed in depth. Meanwhile, research foreground in the catalytic hydrogenation of HMF/FFR has been prospected.