Photosynthetic microalgae produce valuable metabolites and are a source of sustainable food that supports life without compromising arable land. However, the light self-shading, excessive water supply, and insufficient space utilization in microalgae farming have limited its potential in the inland areas most in need of regenerative food solutions. Herein, this work develops a 3D polysaccharide-based hydrogel scaffold for vertically farming microalgae without needing liquid media. This liquid-free strategy is compatible with diverse microalgal species and enables the design of living microalgal frameworks with customizable architectures that enhance light and water utilization. This approach significantly increases microalgae yield per unit water consumption, with an 8.8-fold increase compared to traditional methods. Furthermore, the dehydrated hydrogels demonstrate a reduced size and weight (≈70% reduction), but readily recover their vitality upon rehydration. Importantly, valuable natural products can be produced in this system including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and carotenoids. This study streamlines microalgae regenerative farming for low-carbon biomanufacturing by minimizing light self-shading, relieving water supply, and reducing physical footprints, and democratizing access to efficient aquatic food production.

中文翻译：

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节省空间的 3D 微藻养殖，优化再生食品的资源利用

光合微藻产生有价值的代谢物，是可持续食物的来源，可以在不损害耕地的情况下维持生命。然而，微藻养殖的光自遮阳、供水过多和空间利用不足限制了其在最需要再生食品解决方案的内陆地区的潜力。在此，这项工作开发了一种基于多糖的 3D 水凝胶支架，用于垂直养殖微藻，无需液体培养基。这种无液体策略与多种微藻物种兼容，并且能够设计具有可定制架构的活微藻框架，从而增强光和水的利用率。这种方法显着提高了单位耗水量的微藻产量，与传统方法相比增加了8.8倍。此外，脱水水凝胶的尺寸和重量均减小（约减少 70%），但在再水化后很容易恢复其活力。重要的是，该系统可以生产有价值的天然产物，包括蛋白质、碳水化合物、脂质和类胡萝卜素。这项研究通过最大限度地减少光自遮蔽、缓解供水、减少物理足迹以及实现高效水产食品生产的民主化，简化了用于低碳生物制造的微藻再生养殖。