In this study, effective novel magnetic nanocomposite particles (MNCPs) were prepared based on iminodiacetic acid grafted poly (glycidylmethacrylate-maleicanhydride) (PGMA-MAn) copolymer. For this purpose, firstly Fe3O4 nanoparticles reacted with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane for the production of magnetite nanoparticles containing amine groups (MNPs-NH2). Then iminodiacetic acid reacted with PGMA-MAn copolymer to produce iminodiacetic acid grafted PGMA-MAn copolymer (ID-g-PGMA-MAn). Finally, the MNPs-NH2 reacted with the ID-g-PGMA-MAn and the reaction was completed by propylenediamine (PDA) to produce MNCPs. Structure, magnetic property, size, and porosity of the prepared magnetic nanocomposite were investigated by FT-IR, XRD, VSM, EDX, SEM and BET analyses. The ability of these MNCPs for removing Pb(II) and Cd(II) from water and wastewater was studied, and the effects of different parameters (pH, adsorbent dosage, metal ion concentration, contact time and agitation) on the adsorption process were investigated. The isotherm models were used to describe adsorption equilibrium. The results showed that the best fit was achieved with the Langmuir isotherm equation, yielding maximum adsorption capacities of 53.33 and 48.53 mg/g for Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively. The kinetics equations were used for modeling of adsorption data and it was shown that pseudo second-order kinetic equation could best describe the adsorption kinetics. Furthermore, phenol pollutant can be removed effectively by metal ions of the nanocomposite-metal complex; therefore, the synthesized adsorbent was useful not only in recovering toxic metal ions but also in the treating phenol pollutants in wastewater. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.