Nano magnetite chitosan (NMag-CS) film was prepared and characterized with different analytical methods. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the formation of a pure magnetite structure and NMag-CS nanocomposite. TEM image of the film, revealed the uniform dispersion of magnetite nanoparticles inside chitosan matrix. The adsorption properties of the prepared film for copper, lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel metal ions were evaluated. Different factors affecting the uptake behavior by the composite films such as time, initial pH and film dose were investigated. The adsorption equilibrium attained using 2 g/L of the film after 120 min of reaction. The equilibrium data were analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich models. The adsorption kinetics followed the mechanism of the pseudo second-order equation for all metals. The metals regenerated from films with an efficiency greater than 95% using 0.1 M ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) and films were successfully reused for adsorption. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.