Abstract
Different nickel catalysts have been tested for the transformation of levulinic acid into γ-valerolactone using an easy hydrothermal method, taking advantage of the properties of the high temperature water. A metallic nickel catalyst derived from NiO synthesized by a nanocasting procedure can achieve a productivity to γ-valerolactone, which is two orders of magnitude higher than that obtained by a commercial nickel catalyst. This nanocasted metallic nickel catalyst has shown bifunctionality as it is capable of activating water as the source for hydrogen and undertaking the further hydrogenation step. In contrast with metallic nickel, nickel oxide has shown to be incapable of transforming levulinic acid into γ-valerolactone.
Highlights
The restriction and/or ban in the use of diesel and petrol for transport is likely to take place before it was expected at the beginning of the century
The typical reactions undertaken in this work are conducted using a closed autoclave with a teflon container at a reaction temperature of 180 ◦ C
Present a similar trend, but with the catalyst derived from the nanocasting route presenting higher the influence of the reaction temperature on the levulinic acid (LA) conversion and on the productivity to GVL has been studied on NiCOM, NiSTDm and NiNC catalysts (Figure 7)
Summary
The restriction and/or ban in the use of diesel and petrol for transport is likely to take place before it was expected at the beginning of the century. In European countries, such as Norway, the UK, and Spain, the use of oil derivative fuels is projected to be banned by 2040. Bioethanol and biodiesel are widely employed biofuels, the use of cheap and abundant lignocellulosic biomass as a source for biofuels would mean a step forward in the progressive decarbonation of the automotive sector [1,2,3,4]. Among the compounds that can be obtained from the lignocellulosic biomass, we can highlight gamma-valerolactone (GVL). GVL can be obtained from the lignocellulosic biomass through the reduction and lactonization of levulinic acid (LA). LA is a fatty acid with a ketone and a carboxyl group which can be obtained from C6-sugars using acid catalysts (acidic hydrolysis) [5]
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