In situ synthesis of biomass-derived Ni/C catalyst by self-reduction for the hydrogenation of levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone

Herein, we reported in situ synthesis of biomass-derived Ni/C catalyst by self-reduction with pomelo peel. Compared with the conventional method, which includes carbonization , activation, impregnation and reduction, the entire preparation process was simplified to two steps, which was more straightforward. This synthesis method was green as Ni/C can be prepared without any additional chemical and the self-reduction process was realized in N 2 , which can avoid using H 2 thus averting some problems such as storage, transportation and safety of H 2 . Meanwhile, the size and dispersion of Ni particles can be controlled by changing carbonization temperature. The synthesis mechanism of Ni/C catalyst with self-reduction was investigated, which was mainly attributed to the carbon and reducing gas produced during the carbonization process. For the catalytic performance of GVL synthesis, a high yield (94.5%) can be obtained and it exhibited good stability up to 5 cycles without obvious loss of catalytic activity .