In this work, an efficient visible-light active BiFeWO 6 /BiOI nanocomposite was fabricated by mixing various weight percentages (1%, 2% and 3%) of BiFeWO 6 on BiOI via facile one-step wet impregnation method. The synthesized BiFeWO 6 /BiOI nanocomposite were investigated by XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, EDAX, UV–vis DRS and BET. The photocatalytic activity of synthesized BiFeWO 6 /BiOI nanocomposite photocatalysts were assessed for the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light illumination. The optimum 1% BiFeWO 6 /BiOI nanocomposite showed 92% efficiency of RhB after 90 min. The photoluminescence (PL) and photoelectrochemical measurements revealed that the 1% BiFeWO 6 /BiOI nanocomposite greatly enhanced the charge carrier separation and thus by slowing down the recombination rate of the photoinduced charge carriers. The radical trapping experiment inferred the h + and O 2 [rad]− as the important active species responsible for the photodegradation of RhB. The higher photocatalytic activity and recyclability revealed that the BiFeWO 6 /BiOI nanocomposite could be a promising material in wastewater treatment and other environmental remediation applications. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.