A facile, fast and low-cost method was developed for the synthesis of novel flower-like Bi2O2CO3 in an aqueous medium with the assistance of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The as-synthesized flower-like Bi2O2CO3 was characterized using the powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and N-2 adsorption-desorption techniques. It was found that the nanomaterial exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency towards the degradation of wastewater dyes (rhodamine-B, methylene orange, crystal violet or their mixture) under UV-vis light irradiation. There was only a slight decrease in photocatalytic activity after 5-time recycling (with above 99% removal), suggesting that the catalyst is highly stable and reusable. The relationship between structure and catalytic performance of the flower-like Bi2O2CO3 was investigated. It is deduced that the high photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the flower-like morphology, thin nanopetals, low band gap, and large specific surface area. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.