<p>Vanadium is an important strategic metal that has been widely used in industries such as steelmaking, aerospace, energy storage, and chemical engineering. In order to realize the sustainable development of vanadium production industry and reduce the dependence on primary resources, the utilization of vanadium-containing secondary resources has been paid more attention. In this review, typical processes for recovering and applying vanadium from spent catalysts, industrial wastes, oil refining wastes, Bayer sludge and red mud are introduced in detail. In addition, the limitations and challenges of existing mainstream vanadium extraction processes from secondary resources have been discussed, providing information for further research on effective, green and clean processes in the future.</p>