Gamma-valerolactone is a valuable chemical that can be obtained by catalytic methods from nonedible vegetable biomass. However, the demand is felt for more environmentally friendly and cost-effective production processes. The topic is reviewed in this paper from the perspective of catalyst design. Focus is on those systems enabling one-pot reaction sequences in the liquid phase at low energy expenses and combining metal and acid sites, spanning from homogeneous to heterogeneous catalysts. A final section is dedicated to continuous flow applications. The 230 references cover the most significant achievements published in the literature from January 2011 to July 2014 and highlight critical issues and future trends.

Rigid diols catalytically produced from biomass derivatives have been proposed as bisphenol A functional replacements.

A bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst based on sulfonated cation exchange resin and embedded Ru nanoparticles shows complete conversion and selectivity at low temperatures and H 2 pressure in the direct, one-pot conversion of levulinic acid to GVL under continuous flow conditions, with excellent durability and no need for additives.

The selective multi-step conversion of monosaccharides to anhydro-sugar alcohols was achieved in one-pot, one-stage by a bifunctional Ru catalyst.

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