The shortage of fossil resources necessitates the search for alternative sources for the production of important bulk chemicals. Diethyl succinate derived from biobased succinic acid can be used as a renewable alternative to fossil resources for the production of gamma-butyrolactone, 1,4-butanediol and tetrahydrofuran. Commercially available ZnO-free copper catalysts in a fixed-bed reactor show promising selectivity to C4 products, but 1,4-butanediol dehydration to tetrahydrofuran occurs over acidic sites, like alumina and zirconia.