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Back to the Future: Advances in Porous and Nanoscale Catalysts...
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Back to the Future: Advances in Porous and Nanoscale Catalysts for Biomass Conversion to Value-Added Products

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomass Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 3603

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Benoît Louis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Chemistry and Processes for Energy, Environment and Health, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis; zeolites and porous materials; biomass valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Weiming Hua

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Interests: conversion of bio-ethanol to value-added chemicals; activation of small alkanes; solid acid catalysis
Dr. Marcelo Maciel Pereira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Chemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Interests: sustainability; catalysis; green-processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Balancing energy production with reducing carbon emissions is a critical challenge. Biomass, including second-generation biomass (BM), holds great potential for producing green fuels and petrochemical inputs. Through photosynthesis, BM can be generated in sufficient quantities to support modern societies, making it a sustainable and abundant resource. However, BM’s complex composition, low density, and reactive functional groups pose challenges, such as parallel reactions and undesirable byproducts during conversion processes.

To address these issues, advancements in catalytic materials and processes are vital. Innovations in porous zeolites, active site design, and multifunctional catalysts are essential for enhancing the yield and selectivity of target products while minimizing waste. Additionally, new thermal and catalytic processes can improve bio-feedstock quality, increasing the efficiency and value of subsequent transformations.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions on cutting-edge research in catalytic materials and processes that improve BM conversion into platform chemicals, fuels, and high-value products. By overcoming these challenges, we aim to advance technologies that bridge the gap between biomass resources and sustainable chemical production. These developments will not only expand the potential of BM but also contribute to environmental sustainability and meet the growing needs of modern society.

Dr. Benoît Louis
Prof. Dr. Weiming Hua
Dr. Marcelo Maciel Pereira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

 

Keywords

  • catalyst
  • porous
  • nano-catalysis
  • biomass
  • sustainability
  • green-processes

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2949 KB  
Article
Boosting Furaldehyde Hydrogenation to Furfuryl Alcohol: Role of Ni in Cu5Nix/SiO2 Bimetallic Catalysts
by Yuanyuan Gao, Jieqiong Wang, Zhongyi Liu, Shuaihui Li and Qiaoyun Liu
Catalysts 2025, 15(12), 1151; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121151 - 5 Dec 2025
Abstract
Furfural (FAL), an important biomass-derived platform molecule, plays a vital role in bridging biorefineries and the production of high-value chemicals through its selective hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol (FOL). In this work, a series of Cu-based bimetallic catalysts (Cu5Nix/SiO2 [...] Read more.
Furfural (FAL), an important biomass-derived platform molecule, plays a vital role in bridging biorefineries and the production of high-value chemicals through its selective hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol (FOL). In this work, a series of Cu-based bimetallic catalysts (Cu5Nix/SiO2) were prepared by a simple impregnation method and exhibited outstanding catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of furfural under the mild conditions. When the loading of Ni was 2 wt%, the optimal catalytic activity was obtained at 150 °C and 1 MPa H2, achieving a furfural conversion of 97.3%. This catalyst also showed excellent stability, maintaining high activity and selectivity toward FOL after five consecutive reaction cycles. Structural characterizations using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed strong electronic interactions between Cu and Ni species. The introduction of Ni promoted the reduction of Ni2+ and improved the dispersion of Cu, which in turn increased the number of accessible active sites and facilitated the hydrogenation process. This synergistic effect between Cu and Ni provides an efficient and low-cost strategy for the selective hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural to high-valued chemicals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Back to the Future: Advances in Porous and Nanoscale Catalysts for Biomass Conversion to Value-Added Products)
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15 pages, 3221 KB  
Article
Investigation on Pt-WO3 Catalytic Interface for the Hydrodeoxygenation of Anisole
by Wanru Yan, Jiating Li, Nan Ma, Zemin An, Yuanjie Xu, Lizhi Wu, Li Tan and Yu Tang
Catalysts 2025, 15(9), 859; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15090859 - 5 Sep 2025
Viewed by 935
Abstract
As a model compound for lignin derivatives, anisole and its conversion are crucial for the upgrading of biomass resources. Anisole molecule contains a characteristic aryl ether bond (Caryl-O-CH3); therefore, the selective cleavage of the C-O bond to efficiently produce [...] Read more.
As a model compound for lignin derivatives, anisole and its conversion are crucial for the upgrading of biomass resources. Anisole molecule contains a characteristic aryl ether bond (Caryl-O-CH3); therefore, the selective cleavage of the C-O bond to efficiently produce high-value chemicals poses a significant challenge. Constructing bimetallic synergistic active sites through tuning the metal-support interface is considered an effective strategy. In this work, the WO3-promoted Pt/SiO2 catalysts were investigated to enhance the performance of anisole hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) to hydrocarbons. Experimental results demonstrate that WO3 significantly promotes HDO selectivity, increasing from 37.8% to 86.8% at 250 °C. Moreover, moderate doping improves low-temperature (<250 °C) HDO activity, confirming the presence of synergistic effects. In contrast, excessive WO3 suppresses anisole conversion. Characterization results reveal that WO3 stabilizes metallic Pt and facilitates H2 dissociation. Concurrently, strong hydrogen spillover between Pt and WO3 promotes oxygen vacancy formation on WO3. This transforms disordered adsorption of anisole on SiO2 into directed adsorption of the anisole’s oxygen species onto WO3. This work achieves high anisole HDO selectivity through the Pt-WO3 interface tuning, offering novel insights for efficient lignin conversion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Back to the Future: Advances in Porous and Nanoscale Catalysts for Biomass Conversion to Value-Added Products)
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12 pages, 1615 KB  
Article
Synthesis of Thermal-Stable Aviation Fuel Additives with 4-Hydroxy-2-butanone and Cycloketones
by Anran Zhu, Zhufan Zou, Yu Cong, Yinghua Yin and Ning Li
Catalysts 2025, 15(9), 826; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15090826 - 1 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1098
Abstract
A novel two-step strategy was developed for the efficient synthesis of decalin and octahydroindene from lignocellulose-derived platform compounds. In the first step, bicyclic intermediates were directly generated via a cascade dehydration/Robinson annulation of 4-hydroxy-2-butanone with cyclohexanone (or cyclopentanone). Among the evaluated catalysts, CaO [...] Read more.
A novel two-step strategy was developed for the efficient synthesis of decalin and octahydroindene from lignocellulose-derived platform compounds. In the first step, bicyclic intermediates were directly generated via a cascade dehydration/Robinson annulation of 4-hydroxy-2-butanone with cyclohexanone (or cyclopentanone). Among the evaluated catalysts, CaO demonstrated the highest activity and selectivity. Based on CO2-TPD results, the excellent performance of CaO can be rationalized by its proper basicity. In the second step, these intermediates were selectively hydrodeoxygenated to decalin (or octahydroindene) over Ni/H-ZSM-5 catalyst. Under the investigated reaction conditions, ~90% overall yields of decalin and octahydroindene were achieved. This work provides a viable strategy for the selective conversion of lignocellulose-derived platform compounds to the additives for improving the thermal stability of aviation fuel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Back to the Future: Advances in Porous and Nanoscale Catalysts for Biomass Conversion to Value-Added Products)
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14 pages, 7852 KB  
Article
Silicalite-1 Zeolite-Supported Cu Nanoparticles for Ethanol Dehydrogenation: Influence of Silanols
by Chaofan He, Chao Tian, Yinghong Yue, Gangfeng Tang, Weiming Hua and Zi Gao
Catalysts 2025, 15(8), 787; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15080787 - 18 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1142
Abstract
The selective dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde is an efficient alternative to biomass valorization. Herein, a series of Cu catalysts supported on Silicalite-1 zeolites with tunable contents of surface silanols and the same Cu loading of 3 wt% were synthesized by an impregnation [...] Read more.
The selective dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde is an efficient alternative to biomass valorization. Herein, a series of Cu catalysts supported on Silicalite-1 zeolites with tunable contents of surface silanols and the same Cu loading of 3 wt% were synthesized by an impregnation method. The parent Silicalite-1 supports and as-synthesized Cu/S-1 catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption, XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA, DRIFT, 29Si MAS NMR, XPS, and TPR. The Cu dispersion and Cu species distribution of Cu/S-1 catalysts can be modulated by engineering the amount of silanol groups on the support. More silanols present on the surfaces of parent Silicalite-1 supports can promote the Cu dispersion, and lead to a higher Cu+/Cu0 molar ratio arising from strong interfacial interaction between Cu species and silanols on the Silicalite-1 support via the formation of Si-O-Cu bonds. Thus, higher catalytic activity is achieved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Back to the Future: Advances in Porous and Nanoscale Catalysts for Biomass Conversion to Value-Added Products)
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