Efficient degradation of organic dyes by BiAgxOy

► In this paper we describe the preparation and properties of a novel material, bismuth silver oxide (BSO) which can be utilized to treat organic dye wastewater. ► BSO was prepared by a simple one step process: coprecipitation of NaBiO3·2H2O and AgNO3. ► Simply mixing BSO with dye solution resulted in rapid. ► The reaction proceeds at ambient temperature and pressure, and requires no external energy sources. ► BSO can be reused to degrade sequential additions of dye without significant activity loss. ► Singlet oxygen was identified as the major reactive species for the degradation of RhB.