Selective hydrogenation of levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone over carbon-supported noble metal catalysts

Selective hydrogenation of biomass derived levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (GVL) has been efficiently catalyzed by Ru, Pt and Pd noble metal supported on carbon under vapor phase in a continuous down flow fixed-bed reactor system. Among the catalysts, 5 wt.% Ru/C gave GVL with 100% selectivity at 100% LA conversion up to 240 h (10 days) without loss in its activity. The higher catalytic activity and product selectivity of 5 wt.% Ru/C catalyst has been attributed to the higher dispersion of metallic Ru over carbon in nano-sizes compared to Pt and Pd catalysts.