Abstract: Ru/C, a ctalyst of high-activity, was used in the experiments of hydrogenation of levulinic acid, and the variations of the fresh and used catalysts were characterized by XRD and XPS. The reaction pathway for the hydrogenation of levulinic acid was proposed. The suitable conditions of preparing γ-valerolactone(GVL) by hydrogenation of levulinic acid catalyzed by Ru/C were as follows:temperature 130℃, pressure 1.2MPa, dosage of catalyst 5.0%(based on the mass fraction of levulinic acid) and solvent was absolute methanol. The conversion rate of levulinic acid was 92%, and the selectivity of γ-valerolactone was 99%. The conversion rate of raw material and the selectivity of γ-valerolactone with Ru/C as catalyst were higher than those of Pd/C,Raney nickel and Urushibara nickel.