A bibliometric study using 1992 to 2021 database of the Science Citation Index Expanded was carried out to identify which are the current trends in textile wastewater treatment research. The study aimed to analyze the performance of scholarly scientific communications in terms of yearly publications/citations, total citations, scientific journals, and their categories in the Web of Sciences, top institutions/countries and research trends. The annual publication of scientific articles fluctuated in the first ten years, with a steady decrease for the last twenty years. An analysis of the most common terms used in the authors’ keywords, publications’ titles, and KeyWords Plus was carried out to predict future trends and current research priorities. Adsorbent nanomaterials would be the future of wastewater treatment for decoloration of the residual dyes in the wastewater. Membranes and electrolysis are important to demineralize textile effluent for reusing wastewater. Modern filtration techniques such as ultrafiltration and nanofiltration are advanced membrane filtration applications.

Synthetic dyes used for the coloration of textile goods are not readily biodegradable and are a major concern for water pollution. Nature has abundant sources of potential colorants for textile applications. There are many challenges in textile coloration using natural dyes and pigments, and significant research efforts are currently put into replacing synthetic textile dyes successfully. In order to gain insight into the future trajectory of dyeing research utilizing natural colorants, a bibliometric analysis from 1990 to 2021 using the Science Citation Index Expanded database was conducted. The analysis focused on how well the publication performed in terms of outputs and citations annually, mainstream journals, Web of Science categories, top universities, top nations, research trends, and hotspots. An overview of the most frequently used keywords derived from terms in the article title analysis, authors’ keyword analysis, and KeyWords Plus analysis served as the foundation for determining current research goals and future trends. The findings indicated that no noteworthy research on this topic was conducted in the final decade of the previous century but that it did begin to get the attention of scholars in the first decade of this century. The use of natural dyes in industry has significantly expanded during the past ten years. “Fastness” is the interest point that has received the most attention. Mordants, or environmentally friendly extraction techniques such as ultrasonic, gamma irradiation, etc., represent the future of this research area. On the other hand, ultraviolet protection and antibacterial or antimicrobial properties are becoming more and more popular in the field of textile dyeing research using natural colorants.

The textile business has unquestionably been one of the greatest economic sectors for a long time, and it will continue to be so in the future. At the same time, this industry is the least sustainable due to its negative environmental and social consequences. This bibliometric analysis explores the trend and focal area of research on Sustainable Textiles by reviewing published literature from 2001 to 2023. The study examined yearly outputs, citations, mainstream journals, Web of Science categories, top countries and institutions, research trends, and hotspots to evaluate publication success. Using the paper’s title, author keywords, and keyword-plus analysis, the study attempts to provide insights into the present status of research in this field as well as indicate potential future research areas. This study is an attempt to examine the potential of sustainable practices in textiles, as well as the landscape of previous studies in this domain. Studies in this sector began to acquire popularity one and a half decades ago, and they have continued to climb year after year, indicating an increasing interest among researchers. The study identifies key areas of focus within the field, including wastewater management and energy consumption in the fashion industry, with an evolving emphasis on supply chain management, the circular economy, and recycling. While earlier research predominantly centered on environmental sustainability and resource consumption, emerging trends reveal a growing interest in integrating supply chain dynamics, circular economic practices, and social sustainability, reflecting a broader and more holistic approach to sustainable development in the industry.