title: Continuous hydrogenation of ethyl levulinate to γ-valerolactone and 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran over alumina doped Cu/SiO2 catalyst: the potential of commercialization.
abstract: Hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) and its esters to produce γ-valerolactone (GVL) and 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) is a key step for the utilization of cellulose derived LA. Aiming to develop a commercially feasible base metal catalyst for the production of GVL from LA, with satisfactory activity, selectivity, and stability, Al2O3 doped Cu/SiO2 and Cu/SiO2 catalysts were fabricated by co-precipitation routes in parallel. The diverse physio-chemical properties of these two catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, dissociative N2O chemisorptions, and Py-IR methods. The catalytic properties of these two catalysts were systematically assessed in the continuous hydrogenation of ethyl levulinate (EL) in a fixed-bed reactor. The effect of acidic property of the SiO2 substrate on the catalytic properties was investigated. To justify the potential of its commercialization, significant attention was paid on the initial activity, proper operation window, by-products control, selectivity, and stability of the catalyst. The effect of reaction conditions, such as temperature and pressure, on the performance of the catalyst was also thoroughly studied. The development of alumina doped Cu/SiO2 catalyst strengthened the value-chain from cellulose to industrially important chemicals via LA and GVL.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.
authors.forename: Junlin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.|Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200233, China.
authors.forename: Junhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.
authors.forename: Wanmin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.
authors.forename: Jiwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.|Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200233, China.
authors.forename: Kangjian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology SINOPEC, Shanghai 201208, China.
authors.forename: Dejin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200233, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000537:Aluminum Oxide / Q000737:chemistry; D002384:Catalysis; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry; D005663:Furans / Q000737:chemistry*; D006865:Hydrogenation; D007259:Infrared Rays; D007783:Lactones / Q000737:chemistry*; D007982:Levulinic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D011312:Pressure; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D005663:Furans; D007783:Lactones; D007982:Levulinic Acids; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D003300:Copper; C542586:ethyl levulinate; D002482:Cellulose; C550584:2-methyltetrahydrofuran; D000537:Aluminum Oxide; C037556:gamma-valerolactone