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Improved Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Levulinate Esters with Alcohols over ZrO2 Catalyst
* 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 1 , 1 , 2
1  Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”, Università di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
2  Dipartimento DICEAM, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Loc. Feo di Vito, I-89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy

Abstract:

Levulinic acid and its esters (LE) are polyfunctional molecules that can be obtained from lignocellulosic biomass. Herein, the catalytic conversion of methyl and ethyl levulinates into γ-valerolactone (GVL) via catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) by using methanol, ethanol, and 2-propanol as the H-donor/solvent, was investigated under both batch and gas-flow conditions. In particular, high-surface-area, tetragonal zirconia has proven to be a suitable catalyst for this reaction. Under batch conditions, 2-propanol was found to be the best H-donor, with ethyl levulinate giving the highest yield in GVL. However, high autogenic pressures are needed in order to work in the liquid phase at high temperature with light alcohols. The reactions occurring under continuous gas-flow conditions, at atmospheric pressure, were found to be much more efficient, also showing excellent GVL yields when EtOH was used as the reducing agent (GVL yield of around 70% under optimized conditions). However, the deposition of heavy carbonaceous compounds over the catalytic surface, in this way blocking the active Lewis acid sites, led to a progressive change in the chemo-selectivity, promoting the alcoholysis of angelica lactones back to LE. Nevertheless, the in situ regeneration of the catalyst, performed by feeding air at 400 °C for 2 h, allows an almost complete recovery of the initial catalytic behaviour, proving that the deactivation is reversible. The reaction has been tested also using a true bioethanol, derived from agricultural waste. These results represent the very first examples of the CTH of LE under continuous gas-flow conditions reported in literature.

Keywords: alkyl levulinates; gamma-valerolactone; catalytic transfer hydrogenation; zirconia; ethanol; continuous-flow; gas-phase
Comments on this paper
Bernhard Stadler
Transferhydrogenation with EtOH as H donor
Very interesting results!

I have a question regarding slide number 7.
Here you showed that after some time an increasing amount of Ethylevuninate is formed.
Do you know why this does not get reduced to GVL?

Kind regards,

Bernhard Stadler
Tommaso Tabanelli
Thank you very much for your comment!
Ethyl levulinate is not further reduced to GVL due to the progressive catalyst deactivation.
In particular, this is due to the loss of Lewis acid sites due to the deposition of heavy carbonaceous compounds over the catalytic surface. Indeed, if we feed a mixture of ethyl levulinate and ethanol over a fresh catalyst, the former is rapidly and efficiently converted to GVL. With the progressive deactivation of the catalyst, the alcoholysis of angelica lactones (the main reaction intermediates in our conditions) becomes the favorite pathway.
I hope this will be helpful,
with best regards,

Tommaso Tabanelli

Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Università di Bologna (IT)



 
 
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