Membrane‐Dispersion Microreactor Synthesis of Co‐CeO ₂ /SiO ₂ for Selective Hydrogenolysis of Furfural to 1,5‐Pentanediol

ABSTRACT 1,5‐Pentanediol (1,5‐PDO), produced via catalytic hydrogenolysis of furfural, is a valuable intermediate for polyester polyols, solvents, humectants, green coatings, and elastomers. Although noble metal catalysts exhibit high activity for this transformation, their practical application is hampered by high cost and frequently long reaction times. To address these issues, a Co‐CeO 2 /SiO 2 catalyst was prepared using a membrane‐dispersion microreactor, enabling precise control over catalyst morphology. The obtained catalyst possesses uniformly dispersed Co nanoparticles (∼10 nm) and a mesoporous structure (S BET : 88.9 m 2 /g). Under mild conditions (170°C, 4 MPa H 2 ), complete furfural conversion was achieved within 3 h, giving a 1,5‐PDO yield of 39.0%—a competitive result compared with many reported systems. Furthermore, the catalyst maintained excellent stability over five consecutive cycles with only minimal activity loss (< 5%). This work highlights the potential of microreactor‐assisted synthesis in developing efficient non‑precious metal catalysts and provides a practical strategy for biomass valorization that balances performance, efficiency, and scalability.