Keto-alcohols, which are traditionally produced from fossil resources with multisteps, are considered as important intermediates for diversified high-value-added fine chemical synthesis due to their involved carbonyl and hydroxyl groups. Herein, direct cellulose hydrogenolysis to C3-C4 keto-alcohol products (hydroxyacetone and 1(3)-hydroxy-2-butanone) was achieved over Ni-WO x /C catalysts with an W/Ni atom ratio of 1.0–5.0. The keto-alcohol yield was proposed to strongly depend on the W/Ni ratio and the catalyst annealing temperature. The highest keto-alcohol yield of 63% was obtained at the optimal balance of basic/acidic WO x species and metallic Ni. The introduction of Ni facilitated the formation of the basic W5+ sites, which enhanced the formation of basic sites at the Ni-WO x interface. The synergistic effect between the basic W5+ and acidic oxygen vacancy (Vö) could activate the target C–O/CO bonds, promoting the isomerization of glucose and C3-C4 aldehyde intermediates with the assistance of the interfacial Ni. The cooperative adsorption of the −OH and −CO groups at the Ni-O-W-Vö interface stabilized the adjacent ketone and hydroxyl groups and kept the other hydroxyl groups for hydrogenolysis, obtaining the final C3-C4 keto-alcohols. This work expanded the application of cellulosic biomass, enabling the green and sustainable synthesis of the high-value C3-C4 keto-alcohol products using lignocellulosic biomass as a raw material.

Lactic acid (LA), a key platform chemical from biomass, is an ideal feedstock for biodegradable plastic synthesis. The conversion of glycerol to LA was investigated over graphitic-carbon-layer-encapsulated Ni–NiO x core/shell (Ni–NiO x @C) catalysts, which were prepared by controlled oxidation from pristine Ni@C. The oxidation temperature greatly influenced the percentage of NiO x and thus the amount of Lewis acid. In the conversion of glycerol, the catalyst oxidized at 200 °C provided hitherto the highest LA formation rate (5.67 mol/(m3·gcat·s)), which is at least 15 times faster than those obtained over the reported Cu and noble metal catalysts under comparable reaction conditions. The excellent performance of Ni–NiO x @C was attributed to the synergistic effect of the homogenous base, metallic Ni, and acidic NiO x sites, which accelerates the bond cleavage of α-C–H and C–O and promotes ultrafast formation of LA within 30 min.