Valorisation of Biomass Derived Furfural and Levulinic Acid by Highly Efficient Pd@ND Catalyst

Palladium nanoparticles deposited on nanodiamonds (Pd/ND) have been demonstrated as efficient catalyst for the liquid phase hydrogenation of furfural and levulinic acid to furfuryl alcohol and gamma-valerolactone, respectively. The activity of the catalyst was compared to other counterparts such as Pd on activated carbon, graphene and carbon nanotubes respectively, and was found to depend on surface carbonyl groups. The highest stability of Pd/ND seems to be related to the presence of a higher amount of sp(3) carbon compared to the other supports. The developed methodology will prove beneficial for valorization of biomass derived furfural and levulinic acid in the future biorefineries