Efficient hydrodeoxygenation of methyl levulinate into pentanoic biofuels over Ru/USY catalysts.

Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of neat methyl levulinate into pentanoic biofuels is one of the pivotal reactions in biomass valorization. A combined pentanoic acid/methyl pentanoate yield of 92% can be achieved for Ru/USY with a Si/Al ratio of 15 at 220 °C and 40 bar H 2 . The superior performance of Ru/USY-15 for the efficient production of pentanoic biofuels is attributed to the optimal site balance between the Ru species and strong acid sites ( ca. 1 : 5).