Effect of carbon modifier on characteristics and catalytic properties of zeolite–carbon hybrid supported Zr towards γ-valerolactone production

Abstract

Developing efficient and stable solid functional materials for the catalytic upgrading of biomass-based platform furanic molecules is of great significance to produce value-added chemicals and biofuels. We herein report β-zeolite (β)/biobased carbon hybrids supported Zr species towards the cascade conversion of furfural into γ-valerolactone (GVL) with high activity and favorable stability. The role and importance of carbon modifier were highlighted. The cellulose (CEL) modified Zr/β-CEL catalyst was found to be uniquely effective, leading to an increase of GVL yield from 49.3% to 81.1%. Catalyst characterizations revealed that the structural integrity of β was largely preserved using CEL as the carbon modifier, accompanied by the increased mesopore volume and pore size for better accessibility of active sites and diffusion of reactants. Simultaneously, the presence of CEL offered an appropriate ratio of Lewis and Brønsted acid sites due to the well incorporation and dispersion of Zr species, which ensured the successive transfer hydrogenation and ring-opening reactions. Kinetic studies demonstrated the positive effect of CEL modification on reducing the apparent activation energy and thereby facilitating the GVL formation. More importantly, Zr/β-CEL with enhanced structural stability also exhibited markedly higher recyclability compared with the pristine Zr/β. The understanding on the roles of carbon modifier can be employed to optimize the physicochemical properties of zeolite-based catalysts for roundly improving the catalytic reactivity of biomass-related compounds.