Innovative approaches to textile wastewater treatment: State-of-the-art technologies and future horizons

• Review exposes limits of current textile wastewater treatment methods. • Emerging nanotech and hybrid systems boost pollutant removal efficiency. • Global trends shift toward sustainable, circular textile wastewater solutions. • Future focus on ozone-catalyst, nanomembranes, and advanced bioremediation. . Textile wastewater contains a complex mixture of dyes, chemicals, heavy metals, and organic pollutants that pose severe environmental and public health risks. Numerous treatment strategies have been proposed; however, many conventional physical, chemical, and biological methods remain limited by high operational costs, incomplete pollutant removal, and the generation of toxic by-products. This review provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of both traditional and emerging treatment technologies, while highlighting the gaps that continue to hinder sustainable wastewater management in the textile sector. Additionally, this paper contributes with an integrated assessment that combines technological performance, environmental implications, economic feasibility, and regulatory considerations. Furthermore, this work presents a bibliometric overview of global research trends from the past five years, revealing how innovation is shifting toward hybrid systems, nanotechnology-based solutions, and circular-economy practices. By identifying the strengths, limitations, and future potential of each treatment strategy, this review establishes a clear roadmap for advancing cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally sustainable solutions for textile wastewater treatment. .