Highly Selective Hydrogenation of Bioderived Fatty Acids to Fatty Alcohols over a Carbon-Stabilized Ni–Cu Catalyst

The reduction of carboxylic acids represents a key transformation in both fine-chemical synthesis and biomass valorization, yet existing catalysts often suffer from overhydrogenolysis of fatty alcohols and poor stability. Here, we report a carbon-stabilized Cu catalyst doped with Ni (Ni–Cu@C), derived from the pyrolysis of a metal–organic framework, for efficient hydrogenation of fatty acids to fatty alcohols. Using stearic acid as a model substrate, the optimized 1.58%Ni–Cu@C catalyst achieved 94.8% yield of stearyl alcohol at 235 °C under 3 MPa H2 within 4 h. Its activity was 5.5 times higher than that of Cu@C, while 1.58%Ni/C alone was inert. Structural analyses revealed that the carbon matrix effectively confines the Cu species, ensuring durability. The highly dispersed Ni species facilitate H2 dissociation and enhance fatty acid adsorption via electron transfer from Cu to Ni. This synergistic design offers a robust non-noble-metal catalytic system for the selective hydrodeoxygenation of carboxylic acids.