Abstract: Bentonite is widely used in industrial wastewater treatment because of its large reserves, wide distribution and excellent physical and chemical properties. However, natural bentonite and modified bentonite are directly used as adsorbents, which have such defects as small adsorption capacity and difficult solid-liquid separation. In order to make up for these defects, (bentonite-based) composites have been prepared from bentonite or modified bentonite and applied to wastewater treatment in recent years. In this paper, the preparation methods of modified bentonite and (bentonite-based) composite materials, their application in inorganic and organic wastewater treatment and the research progress of cyclic regeneration are reviewed. The aim is to provide a new and efficient (bentonite-based) composite material and its application in wastewater treatment.