WATER HYACINTH AS A POTENTIAL BIOFUEL CROP

Water hyacinth was introduced as an ornamental crop species in many countries more than a century ago, because of their attractive blue, lilac to purplish flowers and round to oval leaves. They were supplied to many gardeners and horticulture institutes and were supposed to be a prized species. Soon, it was realized to be an invasive species due to their adaptability to a wide type of fresh water ecosystems and interference with human activities. Thus a huge amount of money, and efforts have been invested since then for their management. However, it was recently realized that they could be substainably managed in their natural ecosystem and used in biofuel production, generating ample avenues of research, development and marketing of their end product (i.e. bioethanol and biogas). As the search for alternatives to fossil fuel intensifies in this age of modernization and industrialization, fuelled by increasing energy costs, water hyacinth holds a strong promise in the 21st century biofuel industry.