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Summary: Process intensification (PI) is devoted to obtaining safer, smaller, cost‐effective, environmentally friendly, energy‐efficient and sustainable technologies, playing a major role in chemical process industries. Conventional technologies applied in the adsorptive separations may suffer from low selectivities, conversions and energy efficiencies; higher costs, kinetic and thermodynamic limitations related to the specific separation systems. Suitable PI techniques based on material, equipment and process development methodologies can play a major role in the proper organization of the adsorption separations. This article provides an overview of the concept of PI, starting from the history and its evolution over the years. Recent advances on the adsorptive separation applications through chemical PI are discussed with illustrative examples. Type of adsorption technology, intensification technique in terms of various intensification parameters are illustrated for a variety of adsorption separation systems. Product purity, productivity, gas uptake, recovery, separation efficiency, adsorbent property, bed volume, production yield, selectivity, energy efficiency, process cost and environmental sustainability are among the intensification parameters involved depending on the type of the separation system. The significant process enhancements achieved through PI in the examples are given. Conclusions, perspectives and future approaches are proposed with the aim for further contribution to the development of adsorption separations. Novelty statement: Since the concept of process intensification (PI) has been introduced in the early 80s, a quite diverse range of definitions have been offered for PI during the years, which do not involve an exact standard definition that has been accepted commonly. Since then, PI has been a rapidly growing field in chemical process industries and generated many innovative processes, resulting in higher production yields, higher recovery, high‐purity products, energy‐efficient, cost competitive and environmental‐friendly sustainable clean technologies. The paper aims to compile the concepts and definitions of PI proposed by different researchers starting from the first limited definitions until the more extensive recent ones. Then the recent advances on the various adsorptive separation applications through chemical PI are presented with illustrative examples. The type of adsorption technology, the specific adsorbate/adsorbent system and the applied intensification technique in terms of various intensification parameters involved in each study are given. The benefits of PI, the role of applying PI in all these recent works on adsorptive separations are emphasized. Conclusions and perspectives with future approaches are presented with the aim to contribute to future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]