BACKGROUND Furfuryl alcohol (FOL) is an upgraded product from biomass-based furfural (FAL), which has wide application in fine chemical and polymer industries. FOL can be produced by chemical approaches, but harsh reaction conditions and subsequent safety problems often pose considerable challenges for chemical methods. In contrast to chemical methods that often do not meet the requirement for green chemistry, bio-catalysis is an attractive alternative to replace chemical methods due to its mild reaction conditions and environmental friendliness. However, FAL is a well-known inhibitor of many microorganisms. In this study, four different wild-type cells were screened and employed for the bioreduction of FAL to FOL using a whole-cell system. RESULTS Among these strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae NL22 exhibited the best transformation ability from FAL into FOL. In order to improve the conversion of FAL and selectivity of FOL, optimization of whole-cell biotransformation using S. cerevisiae NL22 was carried out. A maximal conversion of 98% and a high selectivity of 87.9% were obtained at 30 degrees C and 62 mmol L-1 FAL in the presence of 1.3 mol glucose/mol FAL within 8 h. A total of 122 mmol L-1 FOL was synthesized within 24 h reaction by a fed-batch strategy. CONCLUSION The bioprocess developed in this study is a highly efficient method for FOL synthesis. The wild-type strain S. cerevisiae NL22 might serve as a candidate for the production of FAL to FOL as an efficient biocatalyst. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry