Novel magnetic nanocomposites were prepared successfully through the deposition of Ag nanoparticles onto the Poly(4-vinylpyridine)-functionalized CoFe2O4 (CoFe2O4-P4VP@Ag NPs) and applied as highly effective and recyclable catalysts. The resulting catalysts were characterized with SEM, TEM, AAS, FTIR, XRD, XPS, VSM and elemental analysis. The catalytic performances of CoFe2O4-P4VP@Ag NPs for the removal of rhodamine B (RhB) and ciprofloxacin (Cip) in water were studied as a function of initial pollutant concentration, ionic strength, solution pH, temperature and catalyst dosage. The results showed that nearly 99.4% of RhB (20 mg/L) was decolorized in 20 mM with the addition of 0.2 g/L CoFe2O4-P4VP@Ag NPs under the help of 10 mM of NaBH4. 81.5% of Cip (9 mg/L) was removed in 180 mM under the same experimental conditions. Furthermore, CoFe2O4-P4VP@Ag NPs could be reused for six recycles and easily separated from water. Finally, possible mechanism for the degradation of Cip as a representative of organic pollutants by CoFe2O4-P4VP@Ag NPs was proposed. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.