AbstractThe exploration of highly efficient processes to convert renewable biomass to fuels and value-added chemicals is stimulated by the energy and environment problems. Herein, we describe an innovative route for the production of methylcyclopentadiene (MCPD) with cellulose, involving the transformation of cellulose into 3-methylcyclopent-2-enone (MCP) and subsequent selective hydrodeoxygenation to MCPD over a zinc-molybdenum oxide catalyst. The excellent performance of the zinc-molybdenum oxide catalyst is attributed to the formation of ZnMoO₃ species during the reduction of ZnMoO₄. Experiments reveal that preferential interaction of ZnMoO₃ sites with the C=O bond instead of C=C bond in vapor-phase hydrodeoxygenation of MCP leads to highly selective formations of MCPD (with a carbon yield of 70%).