In this work magnetic MgAl@CaFe2O4-poly o-phenylenediamine nanohybrid have been synthesized and was characterized with TEM, SEM, FT-IR, VSM, UV-vis and XRD techniques. Prepared nanocomposite showed excellent adsorption properties respect to lead and chromium ions as well as Congo red (CR). Equilibrium times were 5 and 10 min for metal ions and dye, respectively. Moreover, removal percentages were about 90%, 75% and 96% for lead, chromium and CR. Furthermore, kinetic study revealed that adsorption followed second order mechanism. Maximum adsorption capacity of 500, 1000 and 500 mg g(-1) was obtained for chromium, lead and CR as adsorption curves well fitted with Langmuir isotherm model. (C) 2016 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.