Attapulgite is a cheap and easy-to-obtain natural clay mineral. It has large specific surface area, high cation exchange capacity, abundant surface functional groups and etc. Through different modifications of its characteristics, attapulgite can be combined with various base membranes to form a composite membrane. The advantages and disadvantages of the preparation method of attapulgite composite separation membrane are analyzed; The effects of attapulgite addition on the tensile strength, Young's modulus and elongation at break of the composite membrane were summarized; The applications of attapulgite composite membrane in CO2 separation, heavy metal separation, dye separation and oil-water separation were introduced, and its separation mechanism was analyzed. Finally, challenges as well as research directions of attapulgite composite separation membrane are prospected.