Efficient Synthesis of γ-Valerolactone-A Potential Fuel from Biomass Derived Levulinic Acid Using Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation Over Hf@CCSO3H Catalyst

A new hafnium based carbonaceous catalyst (Hf@CCSO 3 H) was prepared by simultaneous carbonization and sulfonation of readily available glucose, followed by incorporation of hafnium metal on the surface of catalyst. The catalyst was well characterized using FT-IR, PXRD, EDX, SEM, 13 C CPNMR, XPS and BET analysis. The catalytic activity of Hf@CCSO 3 H was evaluated for synthesis of γ-valerolactone-a potential fuel and green solvent. γ-valerolactone was synthesized from biomass derived levulinic acid by catalytic transfer hydrogenation using 150 wt% of catalyst at 200 ℃ for 24 h in isopropanol solvent as a hydrogen donor. 100% conversion of levulinic acid was achieved with an excellent yield of 96% with more than 99% selectivity of γ-valerolactone as evident from GC analysis. The method developed is simple, efficient and economical. Graphic Abstract