Environmental chemistry for the future: challenges, applications, and new AI-enabled pathways

Abstract

Environmental chemistry, a cornerstone of environmental science, faces critical challenges including research homogenization, the persistent gap between laboratory-scale discoveries and engineering-scale applications, and the need to rationally integrate emerging data-driven tools. Drawing on deliberations from the 6th Youth Forum on Frontiers of Environmental Science and Engineering, this perspective outlines three guiding principles for the discipline’s future. First, fundamental mechanistic research—particularly on interfacial reaction kinetics, radical pathways, and molecular recognition—must be strengthened to provide interpretable physicochemical bases for cross-disciplinary innovations. Second, engineering thinking should be embedded from the outset, incorporating life-cycle assessment and real-water-matrix complexities to bridge the “last mile” between high-performance materials and practical deployment. Third, artificial intelligence (AI) should be positioned as an auxiliary tool rather than a universal solution; its pattern-recognition capabilities can accelerate hypothesis generation and process optimization, but its outputs require mechanistic validation and causality scrutiny. Ultimately, the authors advocate a closed-loop paradigm of “hypothesis–prediction–validation” that integrates empirical research, AI-assisted analytics, and collaborative academia–industry–government platforms, ensuring that environmental chemistry evolves from homogenized competition toward original breakthroughs and tangible environmental benefits.

Keywords

Environmental chemistry / Mechanism investigation / Engineering thinking / Artificial intelligence / Practical implementation

Rights & permissions

Higher Education Press 2026