Hydrodeoxygenation of Levulinic Acid to γ-Valerolactone over Nano-β Zeolite-Supported Co–Ni Catalysts
- 1Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 9, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
- 2National Centre of Excellence Mechatronics and Clean Technologies, 1756 Sofia, Bulgaria
- 3HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
Abstract
Monometallic Co- and Ni- and bimetallic Co–Ni-containing catalysts supported on nanosized β-zeolite were prepared by a post-synthesis impregnation method and evaluated for the catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (GVL), an important platform molecule for the production of renewable fuels and value-added chemicals. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, N2 physisorption, H2-TPR, DR UV–Vis, solid-state NMR, XPS, FTIR of adsorbed pyridine and H2 chemisorption. Increasing metal loading resulted in the formation of larger NiO and Co3O4 domains, while metal incorporation modified the zeolite framework and reduced its Brønsted acidity. Among the studied catalysts, the bimetallic 15 wt.%Co–15 wt.%Ni/β-zeolite exhibited the highest catalytic activity, achieving complete LA conversion and 92% GVL yield at 150 °C and retaining 98% conversion after three reaction cycles. The enhanced catalytic behavior of bimetallic catalysts is attributed to the synergistic interaction between cobalt and nickel species, leading to the formation of highly dispersed metallic Ni/Co and probably Ni-Co alloy nanoparticles with improved reducibility and hydrogenation activity. In addition, the combination of metallic hydrogenation sites and acidic centers provided by the β-zeolite support promotes the consecutive hydrogenation required for efficient GVL formation. The results demonstrate that Co–Ni-modified β-zeolite is a promising low-cost alternative to noble-metal catalysts for the valorization of biomass-derived levulinic acid and highlight the importance of metal–metal and metal–support interactions in the design of efficient bifunctional catalysts for sustainable biomass conversion.
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BibTeX
@article{popova2026hydrodeoxygenation,
title = {{Hydrodeoxygenation of Levulinic Acid to γ-Valerolactone over Nano-β Zeolite-Supported Co–Ni Catalysts}},
author = {Margarita Popova and Manuela Oykova and Momtchil Dimitrov and Yavor Mitrev and Pavletta Shestakova and Ágnes Szegedi},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31214015},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/4015},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hydrodeoxygenation of Levulinic Acid to γ-Valerolactone over Nano-β Zeolite-Supported Co–Ni Catalysts
AU - Margarita Popova
AU - Manuela Oykova
AU - Momtchil Dimitrov
AU - Yavor Mitrev
AU - Pavletta Shestakova
AU - Ágnes Szegedi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31214015
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/4015
AB - Monometallic Co- and Ni- and bimetallic Co–Ni-containing catalysts supported on nanosized β-zeolite were prepared by a post-synthesis impregnation method and evaluated for the catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (GVL), an important platform molecule for the production of renewable fuels and value-added chemicals. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, N2 physisorption, H2-TPR, DR UV–Vis, solid-state NMR, XPS, FTIR of adsorbed pyridine and H2 chemisorption. Increasing metal loading resulted in the formation of larger NiO and Co3O4 domains, while metal incorporation modified the zeolite framework and reduced its Brønsted acidity. Among the studied catalysts, the bimetallic 15 wt.%Co–15 wt.%Ni/β-zeolite exhibited the highest catalytic activity, achieving complete LA conversion and 92% GVL yield at 150 °C and retaining 98% conversion after three reaction cycles. The enhanced catalytic behavior of bimetallic catalysts is attributed to the synergistic interaction between cobalt and nickel species, leading to the formation of highly dispersed metallic Ni/Co and probably Ni-Co alloy nanoparticles with improved reducibility and hydrogenation activity. In addition, the combination of metallic hydrogenation sites and acidic centers provided by the β-zeolite support promotes the consecutive hydrogenation required for efficient GVL formation. The results demonstrate that Co–Ni-modified β-zeolite is a promising low-cost alternative to noble-metal catalysts for the valorization of biomass-derived levulinic acid and highlight the importance of metal–metal and metal–support interactions in the design of efficient bifunctional catalysts for sustainable biomass conversion.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -