Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation Of Ethyl Levulinate Research Articles

Efficient synthesis of γ-valerolactone from ethyl levulinate over Ni/V2O5

γ-valerolactone (GVL) has been recognized as one of the most value-added chemicals derived from biomass. In this work, an efficient Ni/V2O5 catalyst was prepared via solid phase grinding and in-situ reduction. The Ni/V2O5 catalyst was employed for catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) of ethyl levulinate (EL) to GVL using 2-propanol as a hydrogen source. An excellent GVL selectivity of 93.04 % at EL conversion of 97.40 % could be achieved at 180 °C in 4 h using 30% Ni/V2O5 as the catalyst. This catalyst was able to be reused for five times with the GVL selectivity decreased a little. A possible adsorption mechanism of generate active H species in CTH of EL over Ni/V2O5 was proposed.

Novel Process for the Extraction of Ethyl Levulinate by Toluene with Less Humins from the Ethanolysis Products of Carbohydrates

A series of organic solvents were screened for the extraction of ethyl levulinate (EL) from the concentrated ethanolysis products of sucrose. Among these organic solvents, toluene was confirmed as an outstanding extracting agent for separating EL with less humins from the concentrated reaction products. The EL extraction rate was strongly related to the temperature and duration applied in the vacuum concentration; a maximum EL recovery of 96.7% can be achieved through the extraction by toluene from the ethanolysis products. Herein, the catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) of biomass-derived EL to γ-valerolactone (GVL) was also performed over inexpensive metal oxides using ethanol as a hydrogen donor. On the basis of these scenarios, a novel process for the production and separation of EL and GVL from carbohydrates was proposed to integrate the ethanolysis of carbohydrates and the CTH of EL.