Silicalite‐1 encapsulated Cu‐based catalyst for selective hydrogenation of maleic anhydride to γ‐Butyrolactone

γ‐Butyrolactone (GBL) is an important product of the hydrogenation reaction of maleic anhydride (MA). In this study, Cu@Silicalite‐1 (Cu@S1) catalyst with 20% Cu loading was synthesized using a combination of impregnation & solid‐phase synthesis. The effect of Cu and Silicalite‐1 zeolite binding methods on the MA hydrogenation was investigated methodically. MA conversion reached 96.2% and GBL selectivity reached 27.6% at 240 °C, with maintained catalytic activity after propionic acid corrosion for 150 h on the Cu@S1 catalyst. S1 zeolite as a critical factor for significant effect on MA selective hydrogenation raction over Cu‐based catalysts, it was conducive to improving GBL selectivity and reducing the generation of propionic acid (PA) by‐products. The encapsulation of Cu particles by S1 zeolite promoted metal dispersion, increased the hydrogenation activity and promoted the adsorption of reactants, which provided a reference for improving the acid and water resistance of the catalysts