Industrial Relevance and Future Perspectives on the Vapor‐Phase Dehydrogenation of 1,4‐Butanediol to γ‐Butyrolactone

ABSTRACT

1,4‐Butanediol (BDO) and γ‐butyrolactone (GBL) are multifunctional intermediate chemicals and have been used in a variety of valuable chemical products. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the industrial importance, production methods, and economic considerations of BDO and GBL. The industrial landscape of BDO and GBL is examined through major commercial processes, key patents, and industrial players, highlighting their expanding role in the production of value‐added chemicals. Among the available GBL production routes, a laboratory approach of vapor‐phase dehydrogenation of BDO over copper‐based catalysts has attracted considerable attention because of its potential for efficient, and scalable GBL production. Furthermore, this review evaluates the influence of copper‐based catalyst composition, and metal‐support interactions on overall catalytic activity. Besides the fundamental catalyst development, the review highlights main issues of catalyst deactivation, process efficiency, and scale‐up limitations in industrial implementation. Additionally, the link between catalyst properties and reaction conditions is highlighted to guide the development and optimisation of robust catalytic systems. In addition to the fundamental and technological analysis of catalytic conversion of BDO to GBL, current market trends, demands and production capacity of BDO and GBL are assessed to reveal their impact on the global BDO and GBL market.