γ-valerolactone (GVL) has been identified as a green and renewable solvent to improve the performance of biomass conversion and various organic reactions, and as an additive suitable for liquid fuels, perfumes and food. More importantly, GVL is able to be employed as a precursor to produce gasoline and diesel fuels (e.g., C8−C18 alkanes and 2-methyltetrahydrofurane) and valuable chemicals such as 1,4-pentanediol and methyl pentenoate, as well as ionic liquids and polymers.Mr. Hu Li, a PhD student, co-supervised by Prof. Song Yang (Guizhou University) and Prof. Zhen FANG (Biomass Group, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS) successfully synthesized g-valerolactone.
In their work, a series of mixed oxide nanoparticles were prepared by coprecipitation method and characterized by many techniques. NiZr oxide catalysts and their partially reduced magnetic counterparts were highly efficient in direct transformation of biomass derivatives including ethyl levulinate, fructose, glucose, cellobiose and carboxymethyl cellulose into GVL without using external hydrogen source, producing a maximum GVL yield of 95.2% at 200 ºC for 3 h with H2 reduced magnetic Zr5Ni5 nanoparticles (< 20 nm). Acid-base bifunctionality of these nanocatalysts is found to play a synergic role in synthesis of GVL in alcohols, while appropriate control of Ni/Zr molar ratio is able to improve the selectivity towards GVL (~98%), along with high formation rates (up to 54.9 mmol g−1 h−1). Moreover, the magnetic Zr5Ni5 nanoparticles were conveniently recovered by a magnet for five recycles with almost constant activity.
The study entitled “H Li, Zhen Fang*, S Yang, Direct Catalytic Transformation of Biomass Derivatives into Biofuel Component g-Valerolactone with Magnetic NiZr Nanoparticles, 81, 135-142, (2016).” has been published in ChemPlusChem:
Magnetic nanoparticles: Acid-base bifunctional NiZr nanocatalysts with strong magnetism show high activity and reusability in transformation of biomass derivatives including EL, fructose, glucose, cellobiose and carboxymethyl cellulose into γ-valerolactone (GVL) with 95.2% yield and 98% selectivity.
