Water Hyacinths – Biomass and Water Purifying Potential for Agricultural Applications

Abstract

The growth of water hyacinths under outdoor and controlled laboratory conditions was examined using diluted cow manure as the chosen supplier of nutrients. The study showed that water hyacinth can be used for water purification. Ammonia appears to be the preferred source of nitrogen for the water hyacinths. Water hyacinth is able to survive severe weather conditions below 5ºC for a short amount of time. Both studies showed that the water hyacinths grew very well during a 22-day study period. Results show that water hyacinths can gain a significant amount of biomass in a short period of time when grown in diluted cow manure. Plants could increase their biomass up to 3.75 and up to 4.0 times during an indoor laboratory study at 20ºC, resulting in over 500 t/ha of biomass production per year. Plant grown at water temperatures of 35ºC do not show an increase in plant biomass. Factors such as climate, contaminant concentration, retention rate, and weather conditions play an important role in plant growth and contaminate removal.