Furfural: A Promising Platform Compound for Sustainable Production of C4 and C5 Chemicals

Furfural is a promising renewable platform compound derived from lignocellulosic biomass that can be further converted to biofuels and biochemicals. The highly functionalized molecular structure of furfural makes it a desired raw material for the sustainable production of value-added chemicals containing oxygen atoms. The conversion of furfural to C-4 and C-5 chemicals by various catalytic processes is reviewed. The C-5 chemicals are mainly produced through sequential steps of selective hydrogenation and/or hydrogenolysis, while most of the C-4 chemicals are synthesized with selective oxidation as the first step. This review divides the chemical products from furfural into several groups according to their carbon numbers and synthesis routes, with emphasis on the catalysts and reaction mechanisms. The applications of these chemicals and their traditional production from fossil feedstocks have also been added as background information. Additionally, recent advances in the development of heterogeneous catalysts for furfural production are briefly reviewed.