Application of the concept of Linear Free Energy Relationships to the hydrogenation of levulinic acid and its corresponding esters

Kinetic model assessment for the synthesis of γ-valerolactone from n-butyl levulinate and levulinic acid hydrogenation over the synergy effect of dual catalysts Ru/C and Amberlite IR-120

“…The hydrogenation of butyl levulinate or levulinic acid over Ru/C to GVL is a two-step reaction illustrated by Fig. 1 [28,29,36,38]. In the first step, the carbonyl group of BL or LA is hydrogenated.…”

“…The most common method for the production of GVL is the hydrogenation of AL or LA with molecular hydrogen over Ru/C, since it provides the best atom economy. This reaction comprises of two steps [38] (Fig. 1) : the hydrogenation of the substrate to obtain an intermediate, and the cyclization of the intermediate to GVL.…”

“…Thus, in the case of GVL production from fructose via alcoholysis and consecutive hydrogenation, LA is also present in this chemical system. Piskun et al [38] observed that protons from LA dissociation can catalyze the cyclization step. Thus, it could be beneficial for the production of GVL to start from the products of fructose alcoholysis, namely the presence of LA and AL.…”

“…2) the use of cation exchange resins under H form to catalyze the cyclization reaction. The cyclization step has been shown to be slower for alkyl levulinates than for LA [38]. The use of such acid resin catalyst can significantly increase the reaction kinetics.…”

Bayesian Statistics to Elucidate the Kinetics of γ-Valerolactone from n-Butyl Levulinate Hydrogenation over Ru/C

“…The current work focuses on the heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of butyl levulinate (BL) to GVL over a catalyst with non-acidic support, namely Ru/C. The BL hydrogenation process to produce GVL is based on a two-step reaction, as depicted in Figure 1 34 . In the first step, the Ru/C catalyzed hydrogenation of butyl levulinate takes place, leading to an intermediate formation.…”