Ru@hyperbranched Polymer for Hydrogenation of Levulinic Acid to Gamma-Valerolactone: The Role of the Catalyst Support

Hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) obtained from cellulose biomass is a promising path for production of γ-valerolactone (GVL)—a component of biofuel. In this work, we developed Ru nanoparticle containing nanocomposites based on hyperbranched pyridylphenylene polymer, serving as multiligand and stabilizing matrix. The functionalization of the nanocomposite with sulfuric acid significantly enhances the activity of the catalyst in the selective hydrogenation of LA to GVL and allows the reaction to proceed under mild reaction conditions (100 °C, 2 MPa of H(2)) in water and low catalyst loading (0.016 mol.%) with a quantitative yield of GVL and selectivity up to 100%. The catalysts were successfully reused four times without a significant loss of activity. A comprehensive physicochemical characterization of the catalysts allowed us to assess structure-property relationships and to uncover an important role of the polymeric support in the efficient GVL synthesis.