Journal profile · Physics and Astronomy-Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry
ISSN 2673-4486 · Frontiers Media S.A. · Switzerland
Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2026 Xinrui edition); impact factor 4.7 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 13 weeks (community reports); 29 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry is published by Frontiers Media S.A. and is classed under Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Mercury impact and mitigation studies, Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal and Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact, together about 29.4% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry is a multidisciplinary journal focusing on the fate, characterization, analysis, monitoring, prevention, transportation, treatment, and control of anthropogenic and natural contaminants across all environmental matrices (air, water, soil, and sediment). Indexed in Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, and in the DOAJ and led by Field Chief Editor Prof Sébastien Sauvé (Université de Montréal, Canada), the journal welcomes research, modeling, and theoretical studies on the fate of contaminants in the environment and their removal by physicochemical processes. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: the chemistry, transformation and fate of inorganic and organic contaminants advanced oxidation and chemical treatment processes biogeochemical phenomena electrochemical environmental engineering environmental analytical methods photocatalytic and catalytic remediation sorption and separation technologies chemical speciation and bioavailability. The journal is particularly interested in studies relating to the chemistry, transformation and fate of inorganic and organic pollutants which is fundamental to our understanding of the human influences on the environment. Additionally, Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry covers the environmental analytical methods associated with the characterization and evaluation of biogeochemical phenomena and better understand how contaminants move, transform and are potentially absorbed by biological organisms. Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry particularly encourages studies on cutting-edge chemical technologies and tools, and which support and advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – notably: SDG 3: good health and well-being SDG 6: clean water and sanitation SDG 7: affordable and clean energy SDG 9: industry, innovation, and infrastructure SDG 11: sustainable cities and communities SDG 12: responsible consumption and production SDG 13: climate action SDG 14: life below water SDG 15: life on land Both fundamental research, applied studies and modelling efforts are within the journal’s scope. Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry, concentrates on the exploration of chemical processes and compounds within the environment. Contributions that focus on climate change, microbiology or biotechnology, toxicology, health impacts, public health and epidemiology should integrate some clear chemistry components or should be submitted to another journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics and Astronomy-Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 22%); most named Mainland China 4, United States 4, United Kingdom 3, Canada 2, Malaysia 2 (18 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Mercury impact and mitigation studiesEnvironmental Science10.6%
- Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removalEnvironmental Science9.4%
- Toxic Organic Pollutants ImpactEnvironmental Science9.4%
- Heavy metals in environmentEnvironmental Science6.9%
- Recycling and Waste Management TechniquesEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Advanced Photocatalysis TechniquesEnergy4.1%
- Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Science4.1%
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances researchEnvironmental Science4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Astrophysics Data System, CLOCKSS, Crossref
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.92LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 20OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 49OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.37OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 24LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 167 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 21 | 14 |
| 2025 | 29 | 29 | 133 |
| 2024 | 28 | 28 | 350 |
| 2023 | 21 | 21 | 250 |
| 2022 | 29 | 29 | 245 |
| 2021 | 25 | 25 | 274 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 13 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 13 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | CHF 1,950 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | CHF 1,950 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,125 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- 5–8
- Reference style
- Harvard
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
Article types accepted1
- original researchFor Original Research articles, it is recommended to organize your manuscript in the following sections or their equivalents for your field.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Use of AI to create written or visual content
Authors should not list a generative AI technology as a co-author or author of any submitted manuscript. Generative AI technologies cannot be held accountable for all aspects of a manuscript and consequently do not meet the criteria required for authorship. If the author of a submitted manuscript has used written or visual content produced by or edited using a generative AI technology, this use mu…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Safeguards against financial conflicts of interest
Only leading researchers acting as Associate Editors, who are not part of Frontiers' staff, can make acceptance decisions based on reviews performed by external experts acting as Community Reviewers or Reviewers. None have a financial incentive to accept articles, i.e. they are not paid for their role as Associate Editor or community Reviewer, and any award scheme is not linked to acceptances of m…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Open access and copyright
Figures, tables, and images published under CC-BY; permission required for copyrighted third-party material. Model summary
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access and copyright
Open access under CC-BY license (version 4.0) for all articles from July 2012 onwards; author retains copyright. Model summary
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
CrossMark policy to maintain content and alert readers to changes. Model summary
Our rigorous, transparent peer review process combines expert review and constructive dialogue to strengthen your manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media S.A.
- Country or region
- Switzerland
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2673-4486
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry
What CAS zone is Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 4.7; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 5.3, h-index 20.
How long does peer review take at Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry?
Authors report an average review time of about 13 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: 5–8; Reference style: Harvard; Templates: LaTeX and Word. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry based?
Of the 18 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 22%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (4), United States (4) and United Kingdom (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry open access, and what is the APC?
Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .