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properties [16]. Ethyl levulinate, the product of the esterification reaction between
LA and ethanol, is utilized as an oxygenating additive in fuels [17]. Another levulinate ester, n-butyl levulinate, is an important intermediate in the organic processing industries for purposes such as solvents, odorous substances, and plasticizing
agents [18].
Another important derivative is the γ-valerolactone (GVL) [19], which is a sustainable liquid and is produced by the catalytic hydrogenation of LA [20]. GVL has
successfully been used for the synthesis of pentane-1,4-diol, ionic liquids, butene
isomers, adipic acid, alkanes, transportation fuels, and polymers [19, 21–25].
Considering the commercial aspects of the levulinic acid, it is reported that
DIBANET project (Development of Integrated Biomass Approaches NETwork)
focuses on the utilization of organic waste and residues to produce ethyl levulinate
and on the production of δ-aminolevulinic acid (DALA) and methyltetrahydrofuran
(MTHF) from biologically defined processes. DIBANET aims to promote the collaboration of seven and six universities, respectively, from Latin America and
Europe. The budget of the project was €3.7 million. Therefore, it could be concluded that there is a remarkable interest to scale up to the desired production
because of its significant potential for both research and industrial applications.
3 Levulinic Acid as a Platform Chemical
for Value-Added Products
The presence of dual functional groups like ketone and carboxylic acid made levulinic acid an important platform for the productions of useful value-added products.
It is the most important class of gamma-keto acids, which can be derived from the
biomass and can undergo various chemical reactions to produce value-added products, such as animal feed, textile dye, coating material, pharmaceuticals, food flavoring agents, polymers, herbicides, anti-freezing agents, etc. [12, 26, 27]. Due to
such kind of properties, the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
has considered it as the most promising building block for various organic transformations [28].
Levulinic acid can be used to produce γ-valerolactone by hydrogenation reaction. Further hydrogenation of γ-valerolactone gives 1,4-pentanediols, and subsequent hydrogenation affords 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF), which can be
used in the lithium rechargeable batteries as the source of electrolyte [29]. Alkyl
levulinates can be produced by the esterification reaction of the levulinic acids with
various alcohols, which can be utilized as the oxygenated fuels and solvent additives [29] (Scheme 2).
Some of the potentially interesting derivatives of levulinic acid are explained as
follows:
Solid Acid-Catalyzed Esterification of Levulinic Acid for Production of Value-Added…
properties [16]. Ethyl levulinate, the product of the esterification reaction between
LA and ethanol, is utilized as an oxygenating additive in fuels [17]. Another levulinate ester, n-butyl levulinate, is an important intermediate in the organic processing industries for purposes such as solvents, odorous substances, and plasticizing
agents [18].
Another important derivative is the γ-valerolactone (GVL) [19], which is a sustainable liquid and is produced by the catalytic hydrogenation of LA [20]. GVL has
successfully been used for the synthesis of pentane-1,4-diol, ionic liquids, butene
isomers, adipic acid, alkanes, transportation fuels, and polymers [19, 21–25].
Considering the commercial aspects of the levulinic acid, it is reported that
DIBANET project (Development of Integrated Biomass Approaches NETwork)
focuses on the utilization of organic waste and residues to produce ethyl levulinate
and on the production of δ-aminolevulinic acid (DALA) and methyltetrahydrofuran
(MTHF) from biologically defined processes. DIBANET aims to promote the collaboration of seven and six universities, respectively, from Latin America and
Europe. The budget of the project was €3.7 million. Therefore, it could be concluded that there is a remarkable interest to scale up to the desired production
because of its significant potential for both research and industrial applications.
3 Levulinic Acid as a Platform Chemical
for Value-Added Products
The presence of dual functional groups like ketone and carboxylic acid made levulinic acid an important platform for the productions of useful value-added products.
It is the most important class of gamma-keto acids, which can be derived from the
biomass and can undergo various chemical reactions to produce value-added products, such as animal feed, textile dye, coating material, pharmaceuticals, food flavoring agents, polymers, herbicides, anti-freezing agents, etc. [12, 26, 27]. Due to
such kind of properties, the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
has considered it as the most promising building block for various organic transformations [28].
Levulinic acid can be used to produce γ-valerolactone by hydrogenation reaction. Further hydrogenation of γ-valerolactone gives 1,4-pentanediols, and subsequent hydrogenation affords 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF), which can be
used in the lithium rechargeable batteries as the source of electrolyte [29]. Alkyl
levulinates can be produced by the esterification reaction of the levulinic acids with
various alcohols, which can be utilized as the oxygenated fuels and solvent additives [29] (Scheme 2).
Some of the potentially interesting derivatives of levulinic acid are explained as
follows:
Solid Acid-Catalyzed Esterification of Levulinic Acid for Production of Value-Added…