Sustainability & Circularity NOW Call for Papers

Upcoming Sustainability & Circularity NOW Special Issues open for submissions are listed below!

General Guidelines

If you intend to submit a manuscript, please inform the corresponding (guest) editor first, remembering to include the title of your manuscript and the article type (e.g. Original Article, Rapid Communication, Review and Short Review, Industrial Case Study and Policy Report)

• Upon approval by the (guest) editor, you may submit your manuscript according to the author instructions.
• Please include the title of the Special Issue and the corresponding editor during the submission process.

Upcoming Special Issues

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Guest Editors: Anant Kapdi, Rupesh S. Devan
Open for submissions
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Clean water, aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG-6), is vital for public health, ecosystem balance, and sustainable development. Over 2 billion people lack safe drinking water, a crisis worsened by urbanization, industrial growth, and climate change. Innovative, low-cost solutions like solar-driven desalination and photocatalytic dye degradation are emerging to tackle water scarcity and pollution simultaneously.

Key research areas include:

• Advanced water purification and desalination technologies
• Circular water systems and wastewater reuse
• Sustainable membranes and filtration materials
• Nature-based and low-energy treatment solutions
• Water resource management in agriculture and industry 
• Policy frameworks and implementation strategies for SDG 6
• Community-based and decentralized sanitation approaches

Advancing clean water access demands interdisciplinary collaboration across materials science, engineering, data, and public health.

Deadline for submissions: 31^st October 2025

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Molecular Approaches and Systemic Changes: Green Chemistry Education for a Sustainable Future
Guest Editors: Juliana Vidal, Amy Cannon, Glenn Hurst
Open for submissions
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This Special Issue focuses on how green and sustainable chemistry is taught, implemented, and communicated across higher education and professional development settings. It invites contributions that explore strategies for integrating green and sustainable chemistry in higher education classrooms and labs, as well as professional training—helping to prepare future chemists to create sustainable solutions. 

Key research areas include:

• Integration of green chemistry principles into university curricula & lab work
• New teaching approaches & educator training
• Connecting education with real-world challenges in sustainability
• Case studies in sustainable synthesis, catalysis, waste valorization, LCA
• Policy reports and frameworks linking education to circular chemistry goals

Deadline for submissions: 30^th November 2025

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Digitalisation and AI for rational chemical design and circular economy
Guest Editors: Silvia Gross, Vânia Gomes Zuin Zeidler
Open for submissions
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Digitalization is rapidly transforming the landscape of green chemistry and sustainable innovation. Aligned with broader sustainability goals, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and data-driven tools is enabling faster, smarter, and more efficient development of chemical processes and materials. These technologies support the transition toward a circular economy by optimizing resource use, reducing waste, and accelerating discovery in ways previously unattainable through traditional methods.

Key research areas include:

• The scope of the special issue includes, but is not limited to: 
• Artificial Intelligence in Green Chemistry (AI) 
• High-throughput experimentation and automation in chemistry 
• Design of Experiments (DoE) for sustainable chemical processes 
• Machine Learning for accelerated materials discovery 
• Neural networks and AI-based solutions for rapid and reliable sorting of materials (e.g., plastics, textiles, waste streams) 
• Digital tools for process optimization and lifecycle assessment 

Integrated collaboration across data science, automation, chemistry, and sustainability disciplines is essential to advance digitalization in green chemistry.

Deadline for submissions: 31^st December 2025

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Emerging Trends in Algal Biotechnology 
Guest Editor: Timo Gehring
Open for submissions
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This special issue seeks to explore the emerging role of algal biotechnology in advancing green chemistry and supporting the transition to a circular economy. As the demand for sustainable technologies continues to grow, algae are gaining attention for their potential in chemical production, resource recovery, CO₂ capture, and material innovation. 

We aim to highlight recent developments that combine chemical valorization of algae with biotechnological approaches and engineering innovation to deliver sustainable solutions.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: 

• Extraction and synthesis of chemicals from algal biomass 
• Algae-based materials and fuels 
• Biorefinery strategies and circular process design, Algal applications in green catalysis and environmental remediation 
• CO₂ capture using algae 
• Integration of algae in sustainable energy and chemical production chains 
• New photobioreactor designs, economic scale-up approaches 

We welcome contributions from both academia and industry, covering experimental studies, process innovations, life cycle perspectives, and interdisciplinary approaches. Submissions can include original research, reviews, case studies, or short communications. 

Deadline for submissions: 31^st January 2026

Previous Special Issues

Sustainable solvents for synthesis and catalysis
Anant Kapdi, Ettigounder (Samy) Ponnusamy
Open for submissions
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Link to the virtual issue 

Sustainable solvents have become a promising alternative to traditional organic solvents in recent years for organic synthesis, due to their tunable properties, high solvation power, green chemistry credentials, and diverse applications. This special issue aims to highlight the latest advancements, and innovative approaches related to the use of sustainable solvents for organic synthesis including but not limited to Water, Ionic liquids, Supercritical fluids, Deep eutectic solvents, Green solvents derived from biomass, Fluorous solvents, Solvent-free and solvent-minimized reactions, new solvent systems for specific organic transformations, Solvents for catalysis and reaction optimization, Application of sustainable solvents in pharmaceutical synthesis, Advances in the understanding of solvent-solute interactions and mechanistic understanding of reactions in unconventional solvents.

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Safe & Sustainable by Design
Chris Slootweg, Joanke Van Dijk
Open for submissions
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Link to the virtual issue 

Since its introduction, the concept of "Safe and Sustainable by Design" has created momentum to shift towards the proactive management of materials and chemicals by considering safety and sustainability aspects as early as possible during innovation. This special issue seeks to showcase cutting-edge research and pioneering strategies related to "Safe and Sustainable by Design", covering a wide range of topics, including but not limited to: Designing inherently safer and more sustainable chemicals and materials, Integrating sustainability metrics into early-stage research and development, Innovations in green/sustainable/circular chemistry and engineering practices, Environmental impact and Life cycle assessments of chemicals and materials, Safer and more sustainable manufacturing processes, Risk assessment and management in the early innovation phase, Case studies of successful "Safe and Sustainable by Design" implementations, and Advances in tools and methodologies for designing safe and sustainable chemicals and materials.

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Circular and Sustainable Biomass and CO₂ Utilization
Huizen Liu, Ruixia Liu, Yi Xu, Haiyang Cheng
Open for submissions
Send e-mail
Link to the virtual issue

This special issue aims to explore the latest advancements in circular and sustainable biomass and CO₂ utilization, including the design and optimization of heterogeneous catalysts tailored for the production of high-value compounds. From bio-based materials to novel catalytic architectures, contributors to our focus issue will delve into various approaches that facilitate the efficient conversion of biomass, CO₂, and other sustainable resources into chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and fuels. Contributions will also include other aspects relevant to biomass and CO_{2 ­}utilization that involve sustainable and circular practices.