Eu/BiVO4 composite photocatalysts have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, EDS and DRS techniques. The photocatalytic activities of these catalysts were evaluated by the clecolorization of methyl orange in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation (lambda > 420 nm). It proved that the enhanced activities of Eu/BiVO4 composites are mainly ascribed to the dopants for the effective electron-hole separation effect, and the optimum content of the doped metal can be controlled by adjusting the ratio of the rare materials in precursor. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.