Water‐Promoted Hydrogenation of Levulinic Acid to γ‐Valerolactone on Supported Ruthenium Catalyst

Abstract

Abstract A highly efficient and green process for the hydrogenation of biomass‐derived levulinic acid (LA) to γ‐valerolactone (GVL) has been developed. GVL was obtained in a yield of 99.9 mol % with a turnover frequency as high as 7676 h −1 in aqueous medium by using a Ru/TiO 2 catalyst under mild reaction conditions (70 °C). The strong interaction between Ru and TiO 2 facilitated both the dispersion of Ru nanoparticles and the stability of the catalyst. In addition, as solvent, water participated in the hydrogenation of LA, which was confirmed by an isotope‐ labeling experiment with D (D 2 O). Specifically, the H atom(s) in water took part in the hydrogenation of the CO group of LA, which promoted the catalytic activity and GVL yield remarkably.