The catalytic performance of 1 wt% Ru-based catalysts in the hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) has been studied at 40 bar H2 and 473 K. This was done by assessing the influence of the support acidity (i.e., Nb2O5, TiO2, H-β, and H-ZSM5) and solvent (i.

Platinum was supported on MFI-type (ZSM-5) zeolites with various crystal thicknesses ranging from 300 to 2 nm (i.e., from bulk crystal to nanosheet). Two series of Pt/MFI were prepared by the ion exchange of image and the impregnation of colloidal Pt nanoparticles. The ion exchange yielded Pt nanoparticles that were supported inside zeolite pores, whereas the impregnation yielded Pt nanoparticles supported exclusively on the external crystal surfaces. The two series of Pt/MFI were used as catalysts for the hydroisomerization of n-heptane to investigate the effects of zeolite crystal thickness and Pt location. This research showed that the product selectivity to branched isomers could be significantly improved by decreasing zeolite crystal thickness to nanosheets. The selectivity improvement was attributed to short diffusion path lengths for branched products to escape before cracking.