Structured microalgal bioprints for enhanced photosynthetic performance and growth

Efficient cultivation of microalgae for biofuel and bioproduct applications is often limited by suboptimal light distribution, poor mass transfer of chemical species, and large land footprint requirements in conventional flat biofilm and open-pond systems. In this proof-of-concept study, we employ a closed-loop, computation-guided framework that integrates predictive modeling, 3D bioprinting, and quantitative experimentation to design and explore the influence of bioprinted microalgal geometry on photosynthetic production, where experimentally derived parameters are reintegrated into simulations to interpret performance. Specifically, we investigate a perforated slab with channels (PS) and Vgroove structures, which exhibited higher measured algal growth rates, under the present experimental conditions, compared to flat slabs of the same volume and footprint. By integrating experimentally measured photosynthetic parameters into radiative transfer and oxygen diffusion-reaction simulations, we analyze the potential contribution of geometry-induced differences in light penetration, surface area-to-volume ratio, and mass transfer dynamics that are consistent with the observed trends in algal growth and photosynthesis. These findings illustrate the potential of engineered 3D bioprinted architectures to optimize photosynthetic efficiency and growth rates, while minimizing spatial footprint, paving the way for compact, high-throughput bioreactors for sustainable algal cultivation.