A facile and efficient approach to synthesize Fe3O4@Cu nanocomposites using L-Lysine as a linker was developed. The morphology, composition and crystallinity of the Fe3O4@Cu nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. In addition, the magnetic properties were determined with vibrating sample magnetometer. The surface of the Fe3O4 contained many small Cu nanoparticles with sizes of about 3 nm. It was found that the Fe3O4@Cu nanocomposites could catalyze the degradation of organic dyes. The catalytic activities of the Fe3O4@Cu nanocomposites for the reduction of nitrophenol were also studied. The Fe3O4@Cu nanocomposites are more efficient catalysts compared with Cu nanoparticles and can easily be recovered from the reaction mixture with magnet. The cost effective and recyclable Fe3O4@Cu nanocomposites provide an exciting new material for environmental protection applications. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.