| Summary: | Zr-doped mesoporous silicas with different textural parameters have been synthesized in the presence of structure-modifying agents, and then characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N<sub>2</sub> adsorption-desorption at −196 °C, NH<sub>3</sub> thermoprogrammed desorption (NH<sub>3</sub>⁻TPD), CO<sub>2</sub> thermoprogrammed desorption (CO<sub>2</sub>⁻TPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These porous materials were evaluated in the furfural hydrogenation through the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reaction. The catalytic results indicate that the catalyst synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and adding a pore expander agent is more active and selective to furfuryl alcohol. However, the Zr-doped porous silica catalysts that were synthesized at room temperature, which possess narrow pore sizes, tend to form <i>i</i>-propyl furfuryl and difurfuryl ethers, coming from etherification between furfuryl alcohol (FOL) and isopropanol molecules (used as H-donor) by a S<sub>N</sub>2 mechanism.
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