Critical Review on the Synthesis of Levulinate Esters from Biomass-Based Feedstocks and Their Application

As one of the substitutes for traditional fossil energy,the biomassresource has attracted extensive attention. Levulinate esters (LEs)are important green and high value-added chemical molecules. Catalyticroutes based on acid catalysts are developed for the production oflevulinate esters from various biomass-derived materials. In thisreview, the catalytic route for preparation of levulinate esters fromC5/C6 carbohydrates is summarized. The effects of homogeneous andheterogeneous acid systems on the levulinate ester yields and thecatalyst recyclability were expounded. The effect of reaction solventsand heating methods on LE selectivity was presented. Given the apparentdifferences in the synthesis of LEs with different heating methodsin current publications, current challenges and prospects for thesynthesis of LEs from biomass-derived compounds are provided. Thelab-scale catalytic synthesis of levulinate esters from a biomassprocess has been developed. This review will facilitate and inspirefuture research on LE synthesis from biomass.