Chitosan-coated MnFe2O4 nanoparticles (CCMNPs) of uniform size were synthesized by an eco-friendly method. The obtained product was characterized by XRD, TEM, FTIR and SQUID. The results show that NaOH played a key role in the formation of CCMNPs. The as-prepared CCMNPs with a saturation magnetization of 16.5 emu/g were used as magnetic nanoadsorbents to remove toxic Cu(II) and Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solution. Factors influencing the adsorption of heavy metal ions, such as pH value, agitation time and initial metal concentration were investigated. The maximum adsorption capacities of Cu(II) and Cr(VI) on CCMNPs were 22.6 and 15.4 mg/g, respectively. The competitive adsorption of Cu(II) and Cr(VI) from binary solution by CCMNPs was also studied, and the result shows that the affinity between Cu(II) and CCMNPs was much higher than that between Cr(VI) and CCMNPs. 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.