Hierarchically constructed NiO with improved performance for catalytic transfer hydrogenation of biomass-derived aldehydes

A 3D nano-/micrometer-scaled NiO material with urchin-like structure was prepared via a facile, green synthesis route, and served as a highly efficient and durable catalyst for catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) of bio-based furfural (FF) to furfuryl alcohol (FAOL) using 2-propanol as H-donor and solvent. The as-prepared NiO possessed a good active-site accessibility owing to a high surface area and large amount of acid–base sites, resulting in high FF conversion of 97.3% with 94.2% FAOL yield at 120 °C and 3 h of reaction, which was a superior catalytic performance compared to commercial NiO nanoparticles. Besides, the excellent catalytic performance of the sea urchin-like NiO was validated for gram-scale FAOL synthesis, and recyclability test confirmed the catalyst to be reusable for multiple reaction runs without significant activity loss after intermediary calcination in air. Notably, the introduced catalytic system was also applicable to CTH of alternative bio-derived aldehydes.