Controlled hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol or cyclopentanone over Ni–P under mild conditions

Ni–P catalysts were synthesized by a simple method in an open system that could catalyze the conversion of furfural efficiently under mild conditions. Especially, furfuryl alcohol or cyclopentanone can be produced with high selectivity using Ni–P as the catalyst by adjusting the reaction conditions. Moreover, the effect of the initial P/Ni molar ratio in Ni–P on their furfural catalytic hydrogenation performance was investigated, and Ni–P-5 presents high selectivities to furfuryl alcohol (98.2%) and cyclopentanone (85.8%) under mild conditions. Compared with the reported series of Ni catalysts, Ni–P had a simple composition, easier preparation, and better catalytic performances.