Ion-Exchange Synthesis of Surrounded CoNi@Al2O3 Catalyst for Levulinic Acid Hydrogenation to γ-Valerolactone under Mild Conditions

The use of eco-friendly biomass as a resource is an efficient way to address the problems of fossil fuel depletion and climate change. In biomass conversion, versatile γ-valerolactone (GVL) is generally obtained from levulinic acid (LA) hydrogenation via a multimetallic catalyst system. Despite conversion efficiency being enhanced in mild conditions due to metal interactions, maintaining high catalyst stability is still a challenge. In this study, we synthesized a surrounded Co0.52Ni0.48@Al2O3-IE catalyst that exhibited excellent alloying and synergistic interaction between the metal constituents. Under relatively mild reaction conditions, the GVL yield over the catalyst exceeded 99% in LA hydrogenation. The catalyst showed no deactivation in a test of five cycles, displaying superiority in stability, possibly due to reasons of the physical isolation of the shell and the alumina retention on the Co-Ni alloys surface caused by the reversibility of exchange equilibrium. The present work demonstrated that a surrounded structured catalyst fabricated by ion exchange (IE) with active metals physically enclosed can lead to high catalytic activity and superior stability.