Towards sustainable production of bio-based ethylene glycol: Progress, perspective and challenges in catalytic conversion and purification

•Bimetallic catalyst of W-Ni on porous support yields high EG, up to 89%•Repeated use of catalyst causes metal leaching, oxidation, sintering and deposit.•The highest reusability of 34 runs was recorded for Ru/AC + H2WO4 catalysts.•Impacts of impurities in biomass (i.e. lignin, sulfur, Al, Mg and Fe) are analyzed.•Pressure swing and extractive distillations reduce energy demand.