Deactivation mechanisms of copper chromite (CuCr2O4 center dot CuO) catalyst for vapor-phase selective hydrogenation for furfuryl alcohol have been investigated using ex situ and in situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS), and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES). At 200 degrees C, the catalyst steadily deactivated. One of the dominant origins of catalyst deactivation is poisoning due to strong adsorption of polymeric species formed from the reactant and/or products. Metallic Cu is identified as the active site, while loss of active Cu(l) sites due to hydrogenation is not a deactivation cause, as opposed to previous literature reported. The copper chromite catalyst showed low activity at 300 degrees C process temperature. Under this condition, the Cu particle size does not change, but Cr/Cu ratio increases by 50%, suggesting that Cr coverage of Cu sites becomes an additional cause of catalyst deactivation at this temperature, along with the poisoning deactivation mechanism at 200 degrees C. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.