Lanthanum‐Promoted Cu/Al ₂ O ₃ : A High‐Performance Catalyst for Glycerol to 1,2‐Propanediol Under Industrially Relevant Conditions

ABSTRACT Sustainable production of bio‐based chemicals from renewable feedstocks is crucial for a carbon‐neutral chemical economy. The hydrogenolysis of glycerol, a major biodiesel by‐product, into 1,2‐propanediol offers an atom‐efficient route to high‐value C 3 chemicals. Conventional Cu‐based catalysts often require high Cu loadings and suffer from deactivation via sintering or leaching, limiting their use in continuous fixed‐bed processes. Here, an La‐modified Cu/Al 2 O 3 catalyst (CuLa2/A‐R) was rationally designed for continuous hydrogenolysis of concentrated glycerol. La incorporation enhanced Cu dispersion, strengthened metal–support interactions, and converted weak Brønsted acid sites into medium–strong Lewis acid sites. These synergistic effects enabled high activity and exceptional stability under industrially relevant conditions. With only ∼9 wt.% Cu, the catalyst maintained outstanding performance for 50 wt.% glycerol and operated stably for over 500 h without significant deactivation. This study not only delivers a high‐performance and environmentally benign Cu‐based catalyst with strong potential for industrial application but also elucidates the multifaceted role of rare‐earth promoters in tuning metal–support interfacial properties and acid–base structures. The insights gained herein provide valuable guidance for the rational design of next‐generation Cu‐based catalysts for sustainable biomass conversion.