Perchlorate is not only a known health hazard for human but also one of the persistent inorganic pollutants. Some significant technologies have been carried out to remove or reduce perchlorate in water. A comprehensive review about these technologies is presented, including adsorption, membrane filtration, ion-exchange (IX), biodegradation, chemical reduction, electrochemical reduction and bioelectrochemistty reduction. The mechanisms, influencing factors and practical applications of various technologies are discussed in detail. In particular, IX is the most effective technology for removing trace quantity perchlorate from drinking water, and biodegradation is suitable for large scale wastewater. Regrettably, there is no single technology that is perfect for complete perchlorate removal or reduction, although correlative studies are still in process. The integrated technologies, such as IX combined with biodegradation, may bring a glimmer of dawn and hope to the improvement of completely removing perchlorate from water. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.