Catalytic transfer hydrogenation of ethyl levulinate into γ-valerolactone over mesoporous Zr/B mixed oxides

A series of mesoporous acid-base bifunctional Zr/B mixed oxides with different molar ratios were prepared by a sol-gel method, and developed for conversion of ethyl levulinate (EL) to gamma-valerolactone (GVL) by using alcohol as hydrogen source. The morphological structures and physico-chemical characteristics of the synthesized materials were identified by various techniques. A high GVL yield of 88.5% was achieved from EL in 2-propanol when Zr1B1 was used. And acid-base sites played a synergic role in synthesizing GVL from EL as evident by poisoning experiments. Furthermore, the catalyst could be reused several times without significant loss of its catalytic activity. (C) 2016 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.