Effective utilization of visible-light by a photocatalyst is of great significance in photocatalytic processes. Herein, magnetite structure was modified by co-incorporation of Ce4+ and Cr3+ cations, and deposition on reduced graphene oxide sheets. The as-prepared Fe2.8Cr0.2O4#rGO and Fe2.5Cr0.2Ce0.3O4#rGO nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, SEM, X-ray Dot mapping, EDX, BET, DRS, XPS, FT-IR and VSM techniques and assessed for their photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation for treatment of methylene blue. The results confirmed the central role of the incorporated Cr and Ce in improving the photocatalytic performance of magnetite through enhanced light harvesting, and the role of Ce3+/Ce4+ redox pair, and rGO sheets in extending the life span of photo-induced e(-)/h(+). Moreover, the influence of enhancers and scavengers were evaluated and oxidation path and generated byproducts were estimated. The results established the Fe2.5Cr0.2Ce0.3O4#rGO nanocomposite as a visible-light-driven photo catalyst for effective degradation of recalcitrant compounds. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.