Call For Papers: Artificial Intelligence Tools—A New Frontier for Sustainability

Technological progress has come at a high cost, leading to increasingly complex challenges in the sustainable stewardship of our planet and its resources. These challenges span from pollution to resource overconsumption, raising serious concerns for both current and future generations. What makes these challenges even more complex is the emergence of unexpected environmental threats that humanity has only started to acknowledge. Tackling these complex challenges demands innovative solutions, interdisciplinary collaboration, and sustainable technological progress to mitigate their impact and ensure a harmonious balance between development and environmental preservation and human health.

One of the most transformative technological innovations in recent years has been the rapid progress of AI and its related disciplines such as machine learning (ML). With AI-driven advancements, we can streamline processes, minimize waste, discover new materials, and develop cutting-edge technologies that advance sustainability. This joint Special Issue across ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering and ACS Sustainable Resource Management will explore the potential of AI in shaping a more sustainable future.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• AI for Sustainable Chemical Processes and Life Cycle Analysis
• AI for Materials Discovery and Products Formulations
• AI for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Utilization and Production
• AI for Circular Economy and Waste Management
• Ethical Governance of AI in Sustainable Resource Management, Chemical Engineering, and Chemistry

We also encourage submissions that critically examine the environmental impact of AI, especially those that:

• Highlight AI’s environmental costs
• Examine resource-related concerns

We encourage researchers, industry experts, and policymakers to contribute their insights and breakthroughs in this exciting and rapidly evolving field. As this is a joint special issue between ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering and ACS Sustainable Resource Management, we strongly encourage authors to carefully consider the scope of each journal and submit their work to the journal that best aligns with their research.

• Journal Scope: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
• Journal Scope: ACS Sustainable Resource Management

Organizing Editors

Prof. Kevin Charles Leonard, Associate Editor, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
University of Kansas, United States

Prof. Milad Kamkar, Topic Editor, ACS Sustainable Resource Management
University of Waterloo, Canada

Prof. Milad Abolhasani, Guest Editor
North Carolina State University, United States

Submission Information

We welcome submissions for this Special Issue through January 30, 2026. For more information on submission requirements, please visit each journal’s Author Guidelines page:

• Author Guidelines: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
• Author Guidelines: ACS Sustainable Resource Management

Accepted manuscripts for consideration in this Special Issue will include research articles, perspectives, and viewpoints. Papers accepted for publication for this Special Issue will be available ASAP (as soon as publishable) online. After all submissions have been published, they will then be compiled online on a dedicated landing page to form the Special Issue. Manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo the full rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals.

Open Access: There are diverse open access options for publications in American Chemical Society journals. Please visit our Open Science Resource Center for more information.

How to Submit

• Log in to the ACS Publishing Center.
• Select the "Journals" tab.
• Choose either ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering or ACS Sustainable Resource Management.
• Click "Submit."
• Select your manuscript type, and, under "Special Issue Selection," choose “Artificial Intelligence Tools: A New Frontier for Sustainability."

If you have any general questions regarding submission to this Special Issue, please contact Rowan Brower (r_brower@acs.org).

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