ArticleACS sustainable chemistry & engineering2026
Decoding Solvent Effects in Electrocatalytic Biomass Valorization: Levulinic Acid to γ‑Valerolactone.
Article in ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) of biomass-derived levulinic acid (LA) offers a sustainable route to prepare γ-valerolactone (GVL), a versatile green solvent and fuel additive. Yet despite its promise, most studies overlook the decisive role of the solvent environment, conflating conversion with true product yield. Here we disentangle these effects by systematically probing LA reduction over GC, Cu, Ni, and CuNi cathodes in three contrasting solvents (MeOH, DMSO, IPA) at two temperatures (15 and 35 °C). A clear design rule emerges: the solvents dictate the conversion ceiling, while temperature gates selectivity. At 15 °C, LA consumption is observed but productive lactonization toward GVL remains "off", yielding only traces of HVA. At 35 °C, lactonization is unlocked, enabling GVL selectivity's >90% in MeOH with metal-earth-abundant, Ni-based catalysts. Solvent characterization (viscosity, dielectric constant, ionic conductivity) combined with DFT analysis provides a direct rationale for the experimental trends. Methanol emerges as the most effective medium, consistent with its low viscosity and high electrolyte conductivity, which together mitigate diffusion and
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