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Beyond tiny aquatic plants: how duckweeds serve the world as revolutionary crops for alleviating resource and energy
Jingjing Yang1, Md Fakhrul Islam2, Abeer Kazmi3
1State Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
Abstract:
As an aquatic plant with outstanding growth and application potential, duckweed shows great value in ensuring food security, developing energy substitution, promoting biomanufacturing, and advancing ecological sustainability. This paper reviews its core advantages including fast growth and rich nutritional profiles (high protein, balanced amino acid composition, and abundant starch accumulation), as well as its diverse applications in alternative protein, sustainable biofuels, synthetic biology chassis, and space life support systems. It also addresses key technologies for large-scale production, such as cultivation optimization, high-density industrial cultivation systems, and food processing. Through life cycle and techno-economic assessments, this review clarifies the environmental and economic feasibility of duckweed utilization, providing a comprehensive reference for its future research and industrial translation.
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