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Herein, a series of Cu, Ni catalysts were synthesized using mesoporous SiO2 (MCM‐41) and fumed SiO2 as supports for the catalytic hydrogenation of furfural (FF). The MCM‐41 support facilitated the high dispersion of Cu, Ni nanoparticles (NPs), and the hydrogenation products are primarily in the form of alcohols. For fumed SiO2, the proper amounts of acid sites contributed to the better selectivity of 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran(2‐MTHF). Hydrogenation results showed that the 10Cu10Ni/MCM‐41 catalyst afforded a 93.6 % yield of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA), while the 10Cu10Ni/SiO2 catalyst afforded a 61.73 % yield of 2‐MTHF and a 31.63 % yield of THFA. Meanwhile, it is also found that impregnating nickel salt before copper salt is more likely to promote the formation of deep hydrogenation products. Cyclic experiments indicate that developing a one‐step hydrogenation process with selective production of fully hydrogenated products is still a daunting and challenging task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Furfural is a 5‐membered heterocyclic compound derived from biomass and can be converted into various chemicals and biofuels through hydrogenation. Furfural conversion invariably requires the involvement of catalysts. The performance of these catalysts predominantly hinges on the characteristics of the metal active sites, the properties of the support, and the regulation of reaction conditions. Therefore, the selection of metals and supports, the preparation methods of catalysts, as well as the determination of reaction solvents, temperature, pressure, and catalyst dosage are the factors that researchers need to consider. Based on this, this present review focuses on the production process and heterogeneous catalytic system selection of furfural hydrogenation to prepare downstream products since 2018. It provides a brief introduction to the corresponding catalytic reaction mechanisms, focuses on the effects of different metals and supports on catalytic performance, and provides an outlook on this research direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalysis is an effective way to alleviate the energy crisis and environmental pollution. Bismuth Chloride Oxide (BiOCl) is one of the most widely studied metal oxides due to its unique surface and electronic structure. However, the wide band gap of BiOCl and the high complexation rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs limit its photocatalytic efficiency. Increasingly, efforts are being made to improve the performance of this range of photocatalysts. The article reviews the progress of research to enhance the photocatalytic activity of BiOCl nanomaterials. Strategies to improve the photocatalytic performance of single-phase BiOCl include morphological control, component adjustment, crystal facet control, and defects construction. Strategies to improve the photocatalytic activity of BiOCl-based composites include surface modification, immobilization of photocatalysts, impurity doping, and the construction of heterojunctions. In addition, the challenges and trends of BiOCl photocatalysts are discussed and summarized. Hopefully, this review will be helpful for the research and application of BiOCl photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aromatic hydrocarbons are carcinogenic and can induce mutations in living organisms, posing a threat to the ecological environment and human life and health. Catalytic hydrogenation of aromatics to reduce the saturation of aromatics not only reduces their toxicity, but also greatly increases their potential value. Compared with the unsupported catalysts with only active components, the supported metal catalysts have higher catalytic activity and better selectivity, the catalytic activity of the hydrogenation reaction depends on the metal active phase and catalyst support. On metal/acid catalysts, the metal active center and nearby acid sites are involved in the conversion of aromatics, the active hydrogen leaking from the metal center can hydrogenate the adsorbed aromatics at the acid site. This paper reviews the recent research progress of nickel‐based catalysts for aromatic hydrocarbon catalytic hydrogenation and discusses the development prospects and challenges faced by non‐precious metal catalysts. In addition, the sulfur tolerance and hydrogen storage properties of catalysts for aromatics are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]