1.
Introduction
The use of daily non-renewable petroleum/diesel/natural gases/
coal (fossil-fuels) based energy resources are insufficient to execute the
expected global future energy demands due to increase in the world-
wide population, improved standard of living, infrastructural
develop- ment and modernization [1,2]. The cost of these fossil-fuels is
con- tinuously increasing day-by-day due to their limited existing
natural resources, moreover burning of these fossil-fuels has several
unavoid- able environmental concerns such as emission of toxic-
pollutants, acid- rain, temperature-rising, smog-creation and global-
warming [3,4]. At present, these fossil based fuels do not have any
promising alternative which is continuously alarming and evoking
global researchers to or- ganize alternative renewable energy resources
for future energy de- mand as well as security [5]. The European
Union (EU) has already set a grand 2020 plan in which every EU
member state shall ensure the share of at least 10% renewable energy
in all forms of transport by 2020 [6], whereas the European Parliament
and the Council of European Union (EPCEU) has set a target of
minimum 27% share of renewable energy in order to secure future
energy demands by 2030 [7].
⁎
Corresponding author.
E-MAIL ADDRESS: bm .bha n ag e@i ct m um b a i.ed u. in (B.M. Bhanage).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2019.106213
Received 1 May 2019; Received in revised form 4 September 2019; Accepted 5 September 2019
Availableonline1
6September2019
0378-3820/©2019ElsevierB.V.Allrightsreserved.
Most recent energy utilization survey showed that, in year 2015
and 2017, the share of energy obtained from renewable sources was
6.7% and 7.2% respectively [8]. In the EU, Sweden has contributed a
share of 30% for use of renewable resources in transportation fuels in
2016 [8]. According to Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007,
The US needed almost 36 billions gallons of renewable fuels by the
year 2022, which will be expected to have only 86% (31 billion gallons)
of their actual need [9]. Looking to all above aspects there is necessity
to de- velop a bio-based technology for production of renewable fuels
which can satisfy and secure the need of transportation energy/fuel
[1–9].
Biomass is any kind of carbon based matter (forest/agricultural/
marine/plant/municipal residual) which is renewable and available in
fresh or waste form [10–13]. The quantity of biomass produced is about
2.0 × 1011 tons per annum while an approximate 3.33% of this
biomass
is utilized by human being or animals for the food and non-food ap-
plications [11,12]. Moreover, this biomass is exclusive source of re-
newable energy which can produce carbon-based fuels or speciality
chemicals or value added chemicals for the Green and Sustainable Fu-
ture [13].
In the search of alternative renewable resources, the First
 Generation Biofuels are obtained from the classical food-crops via well- known conventional technology which may create the
harmful impact on the eco-system and human/animal food-chain [14–18]. The advance Second Generation Biofuels are obtained
from the non-feed lig- nocellulosic material or waste which is in the development stage of growing lignocellulosic or waste
biorefinery [14–18]. At present the concept of biorefinary is utilized broadly to obtain the value added chemicals and liquid fuels
from carbon based non-feed materials [14–18].
In 2004, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (OEERE) identified the levulinic
acid (LVA) as one of the crucial specialty building-block chemical which is ex- clusively generated from biomass [19]. This LVA
has received massive importance due to its broad substrate applicability to synthesize various value added chemicals such as 1,4-
pentanediol, 2-butanone, 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran, 3-hydroxy propanoic acid, 5-nonanone, angelica lac- tone, diphenolic acid,
glycerol ketal ester oligomer, levulinate esters, succinic acid, valeric acid and valerate, γ-valerolactone, and Δ-amino levulinic
acid [20,21]. Among all these value added chemicals, levuli- nate compounds are identified as the most vital value added energy
chemicals due to their fuel-blending properties which can assist to achieve the target of EU and EPCEU to secure the future
energy de- mands [22]. These levulinate compounds can be synthesized by using various substrates and respective chemical
transformations [22].
In 2014, one excellent review article was published for the pro-
duction of levulinate compounds by Demolis et al. [23]. This article was highlighting the levulinate esters synthesis and its
applications [23]. However in last few years, number of research articles are continuously increasing for the catalytic
synthesis/production of the levulinate compounds which evoke us to present a review article which can spotlight the recent
advances in the catalytic synthesis of the levulinate esters [24]. Research scenario about production of the levulinate esters
showed growing interest in the synthesis of levulinate compounds due to its potential applications as a fuel-additive compounds
[23,24]. (Fig. 1.)
Looking to this view, the present article execute critical evaluation of progressing research linked to (i) potential applications
of levulinate compounds, (ii) market scenario of levulinate synthesis, (iii) different catalytic pathways of levulinate synthesis (iv)
mechanistic approach to synthesize levulinate (v) use of various catalysts to obtain levulinates
(vi) fuel blending properties of levulinates and (vii) advantages of le- vulinate as a fuel blend. Moreover, the present article also
summarizes the future opportunities and challenges associated with the develop- ment of representative levulinate biorefinary.

20

16

12

8
Number of articals

Before 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

2009 Yea
r

Fig. 1. Scopus survey for the synthesis of levulinate ester using biomass derived levulinic acid Scopus search key: (TITLE-ABS-KEY (conversion AND
of AND levulinic AND acid AND to AND levulinate)) AND (esterification) AND (LIMIT- TO (DOCTYPE, “ar”)).