| Summary: | The combination of cellulosic materials and metal oxide semiconductors can provide composites with superior functional properties compared to cellulose. By using nanocellulose derived from agricultural waste, we propose a one-pot and environmentally friendly approach to the synthesis of nanocellulose–TiO<sub>2</sub> (NC–TiO<sub>2</sub>) nanocomposites with peculiar photocatalytic activity and antibacterial effects. The as-prepared NC–TiO<sub>2</sub> composites were fully characterized by different techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), μ-Raman, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The results showed that well crystalline anatase TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles of about 5–6 nm were obtained. The photocatalytic activity in particular was evaluated by using methyl orange (MO) solution as a target pollutant at different pH values. It was found that all the tested NC–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanocomposites showed stable photocatalytic activity, even after consecutive photocatalytic runs. In addition, NCT nanocomposites with higher TiO<sub>2</sub> content showed degradation efficiency of almost 99% towards MO after 180 min of UV illumination. Finally, NC–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanocomposites also showed intriguing antimicrobial properties, demonstrating to be effective against Gram-positive (<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>) with 20–25 mm of inhibition zone and Gram-negative bacteria (<i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Pseudomonas aeuroginosa</i>) with 21–24 mm of inhibition zone, and fungi (<i>Candida albicans</i>) with 9–10 mm of inhibition zone.
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