Direct Hydrogenation of Biomass-Derived Butyric Acid to n-Butanol over a Ruthenium-Tin Bimetallic Catalyst

Catalytic hydrogenation of organic carboxylic acids and their esters, for example, cellulosic ethanol from fermentation of acetic acid and hydrogenation of ethyl acetate is a promising possibility for future biorefinery concepts. A hybrid conversion process based on selective hydrogenation of butyric acid combined with fermentation of glucose has been developed for producing biobutanol. ZnO‐supported Ru–Sn bimetallic catalysts exhibits unprecedentedly superior performance in the vapor‐phase hydrogenation of biomass‐derived butyric acid to n‐butanol (>98 % yield) for 3500 h without deactivation. True convert: A hybrid conversion process for the selective hydrogenation of butyric acid combined with fermentation of glucose is developed. Bimetallic ruthenium–tin catalysts supported on zinc oxide (Ru–Sn/ZnO) show good performance in the vapor‐phase hydrogenation of biomass‐derived butyric acid to n‐butanol, as well as good long‐term performance.