LAUSR

Abstract γ-Valerolactone (GVL) as a sustainable platform compound could be converted to renewable fuels and chemicals, whereas directly converting GVL to target products remains still the challenge. In this work, we report an amorphous SiO2-Al2O3 catalyst with adjustable acidity, which presented an excellent selectivity of 97.5 % butene at GVL conversion of 99.5 %, and remained an outstanding stability for 50 h. Appropriate weak and strong acid sites were the key for the ring-opening of GVL. Lower acid sites facilitated the decarboxylation of pentenoic acid (PEA), while higher acid sites promoted the cracking of PEA. Besides, a two-stage integration system was developed for converting GVL to C5+ hydrocarbons via butene intermediate, giving a good yield of 57.6 % C5+ hydrocarbons via combining the SiO2-Al2O3 catalyst with nano-HZSM-5 together.