A series of Cu–Zn–Zr catalysts were prepared by a coprecipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature programmed reduction, and N 2 adsorption. The catalytic activity of the Cu–Zn–Zr catalyst in the hydrogenation of maleic anhydride using ethanol as a solvent was studied at 220–280°C and 1MPa. Maleic anhydride was mainly hydrogenated to γ-butyrolactone and tetrahydrofuran while ethanol dehydrogenated to ethyl acetate. After reduction, CuO species present in the calcined Cu–Zn–Zr catalysts were converted to metallic copper (Cu 0 ). The presence of ZrO 2 favored the deep hydrogenation of γ-butyrolactone to tetrahydrofuran while the presence of ZnO was beneficial to the formation of the intermediate product γ-butyrolactone. The molar ratios of the hydrogen produced in ethanol dehydrogenation to the hydrogen consumed in maleic anhydride hydrogenation increased with the increase of the reaction temperature.