Research progress of catalysts of the aldol condensation reaction of biomass based compounds is summarized for the synthesis of liquid fuel precursors and chemicals.

C₁₅ and C₁₀ fuel precursors were developed using cyclopentanone and furfural derived from hemicellulose.

Diesel and jet fuel range branched alkanes were first synthesized by the combination of hydroxyalkylation/alkylation (HAA) of 2-methylfuran with angelica lactone (AL) and subsequent hydrodeoxygenation.

Precise design of catalytic supports is an encouraging technique for simultaneously improving the activity and stability of the catalyst. However, development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts for transforming CO₂ into formic acid (FA) is still a big challenge. Herein, we report that Pd nanoparticles (NPs) based on a porous organic polymeric support containing amide and pyridine functional groups (AP-POP) can be an efficient catalyst for selective hydrogenation of CO₂ to form formate with high efficiency even under mild reaction conditions (6.0 MPa, 80 °C). Electron density of the active Pd species modulated via the interaction between pyridine nitrogen and Pd play important roles in dramatic enhancement of catalytic activity and was indicated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) along with CO chemisorption. This work provides an interesting and effective strategy for precise support design to improve the catalytic performance of nanoparticles.

The development of advanced porous carbon-based materials is a burgeoning field, especially for CO ₂ capture and utilization.