Zeolite-Tailored Active Site Proximity for the Efficient Production of Pentanoic Biofuels

Biofuel production can alleviate reliance on fossil resources and thus carbon dioxide emission. Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) refers collectively to a series of important biorefinery processes to produce biofuels. Here, well-dispersed and ultra-small Ru metal nanoclusters (ca. 1 nm), confined within the micropores of zeolite Y, provide the required active site intimacy, which significantly boosts the chemoselectivity towards the production of pentanoic biofuels in the direct, one-pot HDO of neat ethyl levulinate. Crucial for improving catalyst stability is the addition of La, which upholds the confined proximity by preventing zeolite lattice deconstruction during catalysis. We have established and extended an understanding of the "intimacy criterion" in catalytic biomass valorization. These findings bring new understanding of HDO reactions over confined proximity sites, leading to potential application for pentanoic biofuels in biomass conversion.