Impregnated nanoporous copper as catalysts for the electrocatalytic hydrogenation of furfural

Electrochemical hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis (ECH) offer a sustainable approach for converting biomass-derived furfural (FF) into valuable products such as furfuryl alcohol (FOL) and 2-methylfuran (MF). However, challenges remain due to low Faradaic efficiency (FE), limited production rates, and competing hydrogen evolution reactions. In this study, nanoporous copper (NPC) was synthesized via dealloying of CuAl 2 to serve as an efficient catalyst support. Structural characterization confirmed its high surface area and distinct FCC crystalline facets. Compared to commercial Cu powder, NPC exhibited a 16-fold increase in electrochemical surface area, resulting in enhanced catalytic performance. At –1.00 V, the FE for FOL increased from 43.2% to 83.0%, HER was suppressed from 12.7% to 0.6%, and product yields improved by 4–6 times. Furthermore, bimetallic catalysts with 10 wt% Co, Ni, and Pd supported on NPC were investigated. Notably, 10Ni/NPC formed a Cu–Ni solid solution with FCC structure and significantly improved MF selectivity by 19.1%, likely due to a Ni/Cu(111) surface favoring the hydrodeoxygenation pathway. These findings highlight the effectiveness of NPC in enhancing the ECH of FF and its potential as a tunable platform for bimetallic catalyst design. ● The impregnation method successfully loaded secondary metals onto nanoporous Cu. ● Nanoporous Cu has up to 16 times the electrochemical surface area of Cu powder. ● Nanoporous Cu boosts furfuryl alcohol yield from 43.2% to 83.0% over Cu powder. ● Nanoporous Cu enables 2-methylfuran formation, increasing yield from 0% to 12.5%. ● Ni-impregnated nanoporous Cu increases 2-methylfuran selectivity by 31.6%.