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Adsorption is a low-energy, economical, and efficient method for pollutant removal from water. Because of their unique structure, large specific surface area (SSA), and non-toxicity, bismuth-based semiconductors, usually researched for the photodegradation of organic molecules, are also excellent for dark adsorption processes. Here, a three-dimensional adsorbent with a heterostructure with a hydrangea-like shape made of Bi2MoO6 (BMO) and BiOI (BOI) was synthesized by a one-pot solvothermal process and investigated for the adsorption of toxic dyes. BOI/BMO with an I-to-Mo ratio of 2.0 adsorbed 98.9% of the model pollutant rhodamine B (RhB) within 5 min with a maximum adsorption capacity of 72.72 mg/g in the dark at room temperature. When compared to pure BMO, the BOI2/BMO heterostructure was 14.1 times more performant because of its flower-like morphology with multiple planes, an SSA that was 1.6-fold larger, increased porosity, the formation of heterojunctions, and a negative surface charge attracting RhB. Further investigation indicated that adsorption by BOI2/BMO fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic and the Langmuir isotherm models. In addition, the thermodynamic analysis showed that it was a spontaneous exothermic process probably relying on physisorption. Thus, the BOI/BMO adsorbent developed here is promising for the fast removal of toxic dyes from industrial wastewater.

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