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

Abstract

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.