Highly active biomorphic MgO/C supported Cu NPs direct catalytic coupling of 1,4-butanediol dehydrogenation and acetophenone hydrogenation using in-situ liberated H2

•A cost-effective biomorphic Cu/C-MgO catalyst found to be active for the direct coupling of 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BDO) and acetophenone (AP).•10Cu/C-MgO catalyst exhibits outstanding performance with a maximum conversion of reactants 1,4-BDO (98%) and AP (95%).•Remarkable yields of products, γ-butyrolactone (97%) and 1-phenylethanol (94%) can be achieved over the same catalyst with prolonged activity up to 30 h.•Uniform dispersion of Cu NPs and the presence of intense amount of surface basic sites are responsible for the superior catalytic activity.