A REVIEW ON WATER HYACINTH POTENTIAL AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE OF ENERGY

The water hyacinth species, Pontederia crassipes, is an invasive water weed species posing serious ecological and economic issues for the Niger Delta regions of Nigeria. This project examines the feasibility of utilizing this biodegradable weed biomass for the production of renewable biogas through anaerobic digestion. By carrying out a literature survey of 16 publications from the academic period of 2020-2025, factors including pretreatment of the weed biomass (mechanical and alkaline), co-digestion of the biomass with cow manure or poultry scraps, mesophilic digestion at temperatures of 30°C-40°C with a hydraulic retention time of 14-45 days were considered for the enhancement of biogas production. The highest production achieved was 597 L/kg VS in semi- continuous digestion in 650 L digesters with stems and a CH₄ content of 59%, which was a significant improvement over mono-digestion. Co-digestion increased stability and production rates of a maximum of 462 mL/g VS, and bioslurry was a better fertilizer, increasing yields by 6% above minerals. Mulu et al. (2025) was seen to provide a perfect concept for biogas production from WH biomass harvested with the MV Blue Ocean harvester to improve power production. This strategy ensures the provision of benefits such as clearance of waterways, generation of power from waste, and less dependence on fossil fuels, achieving clean renewable energy