Three crystal phases of BiPO4 (HBIP, nMBIP and mMBIP), corresponding photocatalysts (Er3+:Y3Al5O12/HBIP, Er3+:Y3Al5O12/nMBIP and Er3+:Y3Al5O12/mMBIP) and their nanocomposite photocatalyst (Er3+:Y3Al5O12/( H-nM-mM)BIP) were prepared by hydrothermal, ultrasonic dispersion and liquid boiling methods. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The catalytic activity of prepared photocatalysts was evaluated via photocatalytic conversion rate of nitrite under ultraviolet-light, visible-light and simulated solar-light irradiations. These three photocatalysts all exhibited excellent performance under simulated solar-light irradiation and reached 85.36%, 84.42% and 78.53% conversion rates, respectively, for Er3+:Y3Al5O12/mMBIP, Er3+:Y3Al5O12/nMBIP and Er3+:Y3Al5O12/HBIP. Particularly, Er3+:Y3Al5O12/(H-nM-mM)BIP was also found to play a high catalytic activity, resulting in 78.68%, 70.04% and 82.57% conversion rates, respectively, under ultraviolet-light, visible-light and simulated solar-light irradiation. In addition, the study of used times showed that the prepared photocatalysts can be effectively recycled without an apparent inactivation on the photocatalytic activity. This research may provide a potential way for converting nitrite and other contaminants by utilizing solar energy efficiently. (C) 2016 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.