Multiscale Regulation of Ru‐Based Catalysts for Upgrading Biomass‐Derived Levulinic Acid and Levulinates to γ ‐Valerolactone: Mechanisms, Advances, and Challenges

ABSTRACT γ ‐Valerolactone (GVL) serves as a bridge connecting biomass‐derived levulinic acid (LA) and its esters to value‐added chemicals. Ru‐based catalysts exhibit high efficiency for LA/levulinates‐to‐GVL conversion, owing to their strong C═O activation ability, excellent GVL selectivity, and compatibility to diverse hydrogen sources such as H 2 , formic acid (FA), and alcohols. Based on an analysis of the mechanisms, thermodynamics, and kinetics of this process, the review summarizes recent advances in the multiscale regulation of Ru‐based catalysts, covering electronic structure and Lewis/Brønsted acid sites, support structure, Ru particle size and dispersion, reaction conditions and solvent microenvironments, and resistance to deactivation. By integrating the two primary reaction pathways, rate‐determining steps (RDS), and reaction orders with respect to H 2 , the adoption of these strategies is proposed to follow a streamlined workflow by 1) defining reaction system, 2) eliminating heat and mass transfer limitations, 3) identifying primary limiting factor of catalytic performances, and 4) selecting and validating optimization strategy. Additionally, a brief comparison with non‐noble metal (Ni‐, Cu‐, Co‐, and Zr‐based) catalysts further reveals the conditions that justify the higher cost of Ru. These frameworks identify key metrics for catalyst design, which are anticipated to advance the efficient conversion and utilization of biomass.