Regulation and Tunability of Oxalate Hydrogenation Products by Catalysis Design

The catalytic hydrogenation of oxalate is a pivotal technology for converting non-petroleum resources, such as coal, into high-value products, holding significant importance for diversifying the energy landscape. This technology has been successfully industrialized with its core relying on the development of high-performance hydrogenation catalysts. This review systematically elaborates on the reaction mechanism of oxalate hydrogenation and provides a detailed commentary on the research progress of major catalyst systems. These include widely used copper-based catalysts, highly active noble metal catalysts, and other emerging non-noble metal catalysts. The review focuses on the structure–activity relationships between key parameters (such as active site structure, support properties, and promoter effects) and catalytic performance. Furthermore, the review analyzes catalyst deactivation mechanisms and summarizes the corresponding optimization strategies. Finally, it outlines future research directions, suggesting that precise multi-scale regulation of active sites, the development of novel stable catalyst systems, and a deeper mechanistic understanding facilitated by advanced in situ characterization and theoretical calculations will be crucial for advancing this technology toward broader industrial application. This review aims to provide theoretical guidance for developing next-generation, efficient industrial catalysts.