Efficient Conversion of Biomass-Derived Levulinic Acid to γ-Valerolactone over Polyoxometalate@Zr-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks: The Synergistic Effect of Bro̷nsted and Lewis Acidic Sites

Inorg Chem. 2021 Jun 7;60(11):7785-7793. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c00185. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Abstract

Catalytic transformation of levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (γ-GVL) is an important route for biomass upgradation. Because both Bro̷nsted and Lewis acidic sites are required in the cascade reaction, herein we fabricate a series of H3PW12O40@Zr-based metal-organic framework (HPW@MOF-808) by a facile impregnation method. The synthesized HPW@MOF-808 is active for the conversion of LA to γ-GVL using isopropanol as a hydrogen donor. Interestingly, with the increase in the HPW loading amount, the yield of γ-GVL increases first and then decreases, and 14%-HPW@MOF-808 gave the highest γ-GVL yield (86%). The excellent catalytic performance was ascribed to the synergistic effect between the accessible Lewis acidic Zr4+ sites in MOF-808 and Bro̷nsted acidic HPW sites. Based on the experimental results, a plausible reaction mechanism was proposed: the Zr4+ sites catalyze the transfer hydrogenation of carbonyl groups and the HPW clusters promote the esterification of LA with isopropanol and lactonization to afford γ-GVL. Moreover, HPW@MOF-808 is resistant to leaching and can be reused for five cycles without significant loss of its catalytic activity.

MeSH terms

  • 2-Propanol / chemistry
  • Biomass
  • Lactones / chemistry*
  • Levulinic Acids / chemistry*
  • Lewis Acids / chemistry*
  • Metal-Organic Frameworks / chemical synthesis
  • Metal-Organic Frameworks / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Structure
  • Tungsten Compounds / chemistry*
  • Zirconium / chemistry*

Substances

  • Lactones
  • Levulinic Acids
  • Lewis Acids
  • Metal-Organic Frameworks
  • Tungsten Compounds
  • polyoxometalate I
  • Zirconium
  • 2-Propanol
  • gamma-valerolactone
  • levulinic acid