Recent research landscape on chitosan-mineral-based composites for wastewater treatment: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis (2014–2024)

Chitosan-mineral composites are emerging as potential adsorbent materials for wastewater treatment because they are eco-friendly, cost-effective, and versatile for removing contaminants like heavy metals and dyes. Their rapid development in research requires a systematic analysis of research gaps, trends, and contributions at a global level to guide future innovations. This bibliometric study investigates and analyzes 1690 documents retrieved from the Web of Science published between 2014 and 2024, focusing on chitosan-mineral composites for wastewater treatment. We used Bibliometrix (R package), HistCite, and VOSviewer tools to examine publication trends, authorship, collaborations between countries, and networks of keywords. Key parameters included an important annual growth rate of 16.86%, 32.12 average citations per document, and contributions from 480 sources. The field has grown exponentially since 2018, with China, India, and Iran leading the research output. High citation rates (avg. 32.12 per document) reflect a strong academic impact, while 26.78% international collaboration underscores global engagement. As such, the analysis of keywords present in these papers found predominant themes that have driven research, namely adsorption mechanisms and composite functionalization (i.e., magnetic hybrids). Novel trends involve clay-chitosan synergies and nano-reinforced composites for pollutant-specific removal.