Casie UR - Good, Bad and Ugly

After doing some research on the Water Hyacinth I have discovered several disturbing and unusual facts.  The first thing is that this weed is on the quarantine list. The second is that though it is rather harmful to the environment it can be used for some incredible things. I would first like to tell you about the negative impacts that the Water Hyacinth has on the environment. The Water Hyacinth threatens biodiversity by out-competing other indigenous plants and by doing this it disrupts the natural ecosystem of the area that it is effecting. With global temperatures on the rise it allows this weed to grow more rapidly. The Water Hyacinth also causes oxygen depletion in the water that it lives in. When the weed dies, it decomposes and therefore decreases oxygen. This weed clogs water ways and can cause floods. It can also disrupt any recreational activities in the area. There have been many attempts to get rid of this invasive weed. Environmentalist and other individuals have tried pulling out the weed by using machinery, chemicals have been used and biological methods were implemented. All the no avail. The weed grows so rapidly that we simply cannot keep up with its propagation. The seeds are viable for up to 20 years (Patel, S. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol (2012)).

Researchers have instead shifted their idea of how to get rid of this weed to what can it be used for. There are many things that this weed can do for the water. The Water Hyacinth has an affinity toward heavy metals and it will decrease the amount of heavy metal in the water. It can be used to filter and treat waste water and can be used in dye removal. The Water Hyacinth can be used as a food source and to create bio-fuel.  There have been studies using the Water Hyacinth in domestic water purification (Patel, S. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol (2012)).

Although this weed is encroaching on the environment and causing many disturbing problems there are ways in which we can use it to help our own economic concerns. 

(Patel, S. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol (2012))

 Patel, Seema. "Threats, Management and Envisaged Utilizations of Aquatic Weed Eichhornia Crassipes: An Overview." Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology 11.3 (2012): 249-59. Web. 16 Feb. 2017.