Synthesis and Applications of Alkyl Levulinates

Alkyl levulinates are biobased chemicals having a strong potential to be used in various applications, substituting current chemicals produced from petro-chemical routes. Dedicated literature has considerably increased in the past five years. This review describes state-of-the-art preparation routes and their main application fields. Alkyl levulinates are obtained in high yields and selectivities from simple biomass-derived products like levulinic acid or furfuryl alcohol. They are also obtained directly from lignocellulosic resources with generally limited yields. In all cases, the transformation needs a catalyst. Current efforts are now performed with developing efficient and recyclable catalysts. Alkyl levulinates found applications as solvents and additives as well as in the area of chemical synthesis. The development of new preparation routes and applications of alkyl levulinates are contributing to future greener and sustainable processes.