@article {44567,
	title = {Steering the ester and gamma-valerolactone selectivities in levulinic acid hydrogenation},
	journal = {Energy Fuels},
	volume = {32 },
	year = {2018},
	month = {JUN},
	pages = {6887{\textendash}6900},
	type = {Journal Article},
	abstract = {<p>Both alkyl esters and γ-valerolactone (GVL) derived from levulinic acid (LA) have applications as renewable transportation fuel/fuel additives. Non-noble metal cobalt supported on La2O3 catalyst was developed for efficient cascade LA hydrogenation to GVL via esterification. LA hydrogenation in methanol alone yielded methyl levulinate (MeLA) as a major product along with 43\% of GVL. Interestingly, hydrogenation in water gave almost complete selectivity to GVL; nevertheless, it was associated with significant metal leaching. Suppression of metal leaching and enhancement in selectivity to GVL could be achieved by a methanol/water (95:5) solvent system. XRD analysis of La2O3-supported catalysts evidenced the characteristic peaks of a mixture of La2O3 and La(OH)3 phases. Basicity, as well as acidity, of the catalyst as determined by CO2 and NH3 TPD was due to these La2O3, Co{\textendash}La, and La(OH)3 phases which played an important role in directing the product selectivity in levulinic acid hydrogenation. At the low temperature of 160 {\textdegree}C, almost equal selectivities of MeLA (47\%) and GVL (43\%) were observed, while higher temperature (200 {\textdegree}C) favored further hydrogenation of MeLA to GVL (75\%). Similarly, with an increase in reaction time to 9 h, the GVL selectivity achieved was as high as 80\%. The selectivity to MeLA and GVL in LA hydrogenation over Co/La2O3 catalyst can be altered by suitably adjusting the reaction conditions.</p>},
	doi = {10.1021/acs.energyfuels.8b01263},
	author = {Kasar, Gayatri B. and Date,  Nandan S. and Bhosale,  P. N. and Rode, Chandrashekhar V.}
}
