Ferromagnetic Lignin-Derived Ordered Mesoporous Carbon for Catalytic Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol

Ferromagnetic Ni-doped lignin-derived ordered mesoporous carbon (Ni@OMC) was synthesized in one pot by evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) for use as catalysts. Lignin was used to partially replace phloroglucinol (up to 80%) as the carbon precursor under conditions that allowed ordered mesoporous structures to be perfectly retained and Ni particles to be uniformly dispersed within the material. The as-synthesized Ni@OMC catalysts promoted hydrogenation of furfural, affording furfuryl alcohol (FAL) yields and selectivities as high as 91.0 and 98.6% at 180 °C for a 12 h reaction time in the presence of H2 gas. The Ni@OMC catalyst could be simply separated through application of a magnetic field and was recyclable for at least five cycles. The stability of the Ni@OMC catalyst is attributed to space confinement effects of the carbon skeleton on the doped Ni particles through coordinated interactions between lignin and metal ions (Ni2+). The proposed method allows the synthesis of metal-doped ordered porous carbons from lignin and is green and sustainable.