Highly Active Catalytic Ruthenium/TiO2 Nanomaterials for Continuous Production of γ-Valerolactone

Green energy production from renewable sources is an attractive, but challenging topic to face the likely energy crisis scenario in the future. In the current work, a series of versatile Ru/TiO2 catalysts were simply synthesized and employed in continuous-flow catalytic transfer hydrogenation of industrially derived methyl levulinate biowaste (from Avantium Chemicals B.V.) to form γ-valerolactone. Different analytical techniques were applied in the characterization of the as-synthesized catalysts, including XRD, SEM, energy-dispersion X-ray spectroscopy, TEM, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The effects of various reaction conditions (e.g., temperature, concentration, and flow rate) were investigated. Results suggested that optimum dispersion and distribution of Ru on the TiO2 surface could efficiently promote the production of γ-valerolactone; the 5 % Ru/TiO2 catalyst provided excellent catalytic performance and stability compared with commercial Ru catalysts. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim