What is the impact factor of Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy?

Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy has an impact factor of 21.1 (2024). This places it among the top-tier journals in its field with Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy published by Elsevier is the premier journal for catalysis addressing environmental and energy challenges.

How long does Appl. Catal. B take to review?

Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy typically takes ~100-140 days median. The full review process involves 5 main stages: manuscript preparation, submission via elsevier system, and peer review.

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Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy Impact Factor 21.1: Publishing Guide

Q: What is the acceptance rate of Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy?

Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy has an acceptance rate of ~30-35%. A common reason for rejection is catalyst characterization without demonstrating catalytic performance. Novel catalyst synthesis or comprehensive characterization alone insufficient. ACB expects functional demonstration. Show catalytic activity with quantified metrics. Why is this catalyst useful?

Q: Is Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy peer reviewed?

Yes, Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy is fully peer reviewed. All submissions undergo rigorous peer review by 2-3 catalysis experts assess catalyst design novelty, performance validity, mechanistic understanding, and practical significance. Reviewers scrutinize catalytic data carefully. First decision 100-140 days..

Q: What should I know before submitting to Appl. Catal. B?

Photocatalysis and CO2 conversion are highest impact areas. Research on photocatalytic degradation, CO2 reduction, or photocatalytic hydrogen production addresses global sustainability. These topics receive strong editorial and citation attention.

Catalysts for sustainability: environmental remediation and clean energy

21.1

Impact Factor (2024)

~30-35%

Acceptance Rate

~100-140 days median

Time to First Decision

What Appl. Catal. B Publishes

Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy published by Elsevier is the premier journal for catalysis addressing environmental and energy challenges. With JIF 21.1 and Q1 ranking in Catalysis & Chemical Engineering, ACB emphasizes novel catalysts with demonstrated environmental or energy applications. The journal publishes research on environmental remediation catalysts, photocatalysis for pollution control, CO2 conversion, and catalysis for sustainable energy. Critically: ACB values catalysts with functional performance demonstrated. Pure materials characterization without catalytic performance is less competitive. The journal seeks papers showing how catalysts solve real environmental or energy problems.

Photocatalysis: pollutant degradation, water purification, hydrogen production
CO2 conversion: reduction, utilization, synthetic fuels from CO2
Environmental remediation: VOC oxidation, pollutant destruction, air treatment
Water treatment: contaminant removal, disinfection, water splitting
Catalytic mechanisms: active site identification, reaction pathways
Catalyst design: structure-activity relationships, material optimization
Heterogeneous catalysis: solid catalysts, surface chemistry
Energy applications: hydrogen generation, fuel production, electricity generation

Editor Insight

“Applied Catalysis B publishes catalysts solving environmental and energy challenges. We seek novel catalysts with superior performance, rigorous characterization, and clear mechanistic understanding. The best papers demonstrate practical applicability in realistic environmental or energy contexts.”

What Appl. Catal. B Editors Look For

Novel catalyst with superior environmental or energy performance

Present catalyst showing exceptional performance. Superior activity? Better selectivity? Improved durability? Quantify performance: turnover frequency, conversion rates, efficiency. Show clear performance advantage over existing catalysts.

Complete catalyst characterization revealing active site and mechanism

Thoroughly characterize catalyst structure: XPS for surface chemistry, microscopy for morphology, spectroscopy for active site identification. Explain mechanism: how does structure generate catalytic activity?

Catalytic performance under realistic environmental or energy conditions

Test catalysts in realistic contexts: actual wastewater for environmental catalysts, relevant substrates for energy catalysts. Lab-scale testing in idealized conditions insufficient. Real conditions prove practical value.

Stability and durability data for practical applications

Catalysts must function reliably over time. Show cycling stability, resistance to poisoning, and long-term activity retention. Short-term activity without durability has limited practical impact.

Mechanistic understanding of catalytic reaction pathway

Explain catalytic mechanism at molecular level. What are elementary steps? How does catalyst facilitate each step? What's rate-limiting? Mechanistic insight stronger than empirical performance alone.

Why Papers Get Rejected

These patterns appear repeatedly in manuscripts that don't make it past Appl. Catal. B's editorial review:

Catalyst characterization without demonstrating catalytic performance

Novel catalyst synthesis or comprehensive characterization alone insufficient. ACB expects functional demonstration. Show catalytic activity with quantified metrics. Why is this catalyst useful?

Catalytic testing only in idealized lab conditions

Real environmental/energy applications involve complex matrices: wastewater contains multiple contaminants, reactors have different conditions. Test in realistic conditions showing practical applicability.

Performance claims without comparison to state-of-the-art catalysts

Marginal improvements over known catalysts are weak. Show significant performance advantages (higher activity, better selectivity, improved stability). Compare directly with best existing catalysts.

Lack of durability and stability data

Catalysts working perfectly for hours but degrading rapidly lack practical value. Show cycling stability over extended operation. Address deactivation mechanisms and prevention.

No mechanistic explanation for observed catalytic performance

Papers reporting activity without explaining mechanism are less impactful. Identify active sites and explain catalytic steps. Surface science understanding valuable.

Does your manuscript avoid these patterns?

The quick diagnostic reads your full manuscript against Appl. Catal. B's criteria and flags the specific issues most likely to cause rejection.

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Insider Tips from Appl. Catal. B Authors

Photocatalysis and CO2 conversion are highest impact areas

Research on photocatalytic degradation, CO2 reduction, or photocatalytic hydrogen production addresses global sustainability. These topics receive strong editorial and citation attention.

Non-noble metal catalysts replacing precious metals gain prominence

Catalysts using earth-abundant elements (iron, nickel, copper, cobalt) replacing platinum or palladium increasingly valued for cost and sustainability.

Operando characterization revealing mechanism during reaction

In situ spectroscopy during catalytic reaction reveals active sites and reaction intermediates. Operando data provide exceptional mechanistic insight highly valued.

Environmental application validation strengthens impact

Testing catalysts on actual contaminated water or air samples demonstrates real-world applicability. Field pilot studies provide strongest evidence of practical value.

Computational modeling predicting catalyst performance valued

Density functional theory calculations predicting catalytic activity, combined with experimental validation, demonstrate sophisticated materials design approach.

The Appl. Catal. B Submission Process

Manuscript preparation

Prep

7,000-10,000 words with 6-8 figures. Include catalyst synthesis/characterization (XPS, microscopy, spectroscopy), catalytic performance testing in realistic conditions, stability/durability data, mechanistic discussion, and comparison with state-of-the-art. Supporting: characterization details, catalytic curves, durability data.

Submission via Elsevier system

Day 0

Submit at https://www.editorialmanager.com/acb/. Required: manuscript emphasizing catalytic novelty and environmental/energy significance, figures showing catalyst structure and catalytic performance, cover letter highlighting performance advantages.

Editorial assessment

1-2 weeks

Editor assesses catalyst novelty, performance significance, and environmental/energy relevance. Papers lacking catalytic performance or environmental context face lower priority. Moderate desk rejection ~30-40%.

Peer review

100-140 days

2-3 catalysis experts assess catalyst design novelty, performance validity, mechanistic understanding, and practical significance. Reviewers scrutinize catalytic data carefully. First decision 100-140 days.

Revision and publication

Revision: 4-8 weeks

Revisions often request additional catalytic testing, mechanistic explanation, or stability data. Publication 2-4 weeks after acceptance.

Appl. Catal. B by the Numbers

2024 Impact Factor	19.5
5-Year Impact Factor	20.2
Acceptance rate	~30-35%
Desk rejection rate	~30-40%
Median first decision	~120 days
Open access option	$3,200 USD
Publisher	Elsevier
Founded	1992

Before you submit

Appl. Catal. B accepts a small fraction of submissions. Make your attempt count.

The pre-submission diagnostic runs a live literature search, scores your manuscript section by section, and gives you a prioritized fix list calibrated to Appl. Catal. B. ~30 minutes.

Run Free Readiness Scan See a sample report

Article Types

Research Article

7,000-10,000 words

Novel catalyst with performance and mechanistic data

Review

10,000-15,000 words

Comprehensive catalysis technology review

Short Communication

3,500-5,000 words

Brief catalyst discovery

Landmark Appl. Catal. B Papers

Papers that defined fields and changed science:

Photocatalytic water splitting (TiO2, 1970s+) - water purification from sunlight
Heterogeneous catalysts for environmental remediation (1990s+) - pollution abatement
CO2 reduction catalysts (2000s+) - converting CO2 to useful chemicals
Non-noble metal catalysts for energy (2010s+) - sustainable energy production
Single-atom catalysts (2010s+) - maximized active site efficiency

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Primary Fields

PhotocatalysisCO2 ConversionEnvironmental RemediationWater TreatmentEnergy CatalysisCatalyst Design

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