A gas-phase coupling process for simultaneous production of γ-butyrolactone and furfuryl alcohol without external hydrogen over bifunctional base-metal heterogeneous catalysts

A solvent-free gas-phase coupling process through hydrogen transfer without external hydrogen supply over novel bifunctional base-metal heterogeneous catalysts was developed for the simultaneous production of gamma -butyrolactone and furfuryl alcohol with high yields of 95.0% from biomass-derived compounds. Such a practical, unparallely efficient and environmentally benign process makes it promising in terms of both green sustainable chemistry and industrial perspective.