A sulfonated magnetic cellulose-based nanocomposite was applied as an efficient, inexpensive and green catalyst for the one-pot three-component synthesis of 7-aryl-8H-benzo[h]indeno[1,2-b]quinoline-8-ones starting from 1,3-indanedione, aromatic aldehydes and 1-naphthylamine under solvent-free conditions in high yields (79-98%) within short reaction times (2-5 min). The nanobiostructure catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction mixture by using an external magnet and reused several times.