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

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.