A novel material of bismuth loaded on zirconia (Bi 2 O 3 /ZrO 2 ) is synthesized by simple wet-impregnation method and characterized by several techniques (P-XRD, TEM, SEM, BET, etc.). Bi 2 O 3 /ZrO 2 proved to be a good catalyst for the four-component, one-pot reaction to produce a new series of 2,4-dihydropyrano [2,3-c]pyrazole-3-carboxylate derivatives with excellent yields (91 to 98%) under mild conditions at RT with short reaction times (z20 min). The structures of the target molecules were confirmed by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, 15 N NMR, HRMS and FT-IR. The catalyst is easily separable and can be reused for six cycles without ostensible loss of activity. This method is inexpensive, atom-efficient and no chromatographic separations are needed. EtOH 15 98 a Reaction conditions: aromatic aldehydes (1 mmol), malononitrile (1 mmol), hydrazine hydrate (1 mmol), diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (1 mmol) and solvent (5 mL) were stirred at room temperature. 16340 | RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 16336-16343 This journal is