Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a weed ubiquitously found
in lakes, rivers, and other water
bodies across the globe. With high rates of regeneration, survival,
and growth, it is generally difficult to clear water bodies infested
with water hyacinth. However, these features of water hyacinth can
be considered as advantageous. Researchers have attempted to use hyacinth
as an absorbent for heavy metals, water pollutants, and others. Although
a large number of studies have been done on using the stems and leaves
of water hyacinth as absorbent, there are several interesting and
novel applications of water hyacinth. For example, water hyacinth
has been demonstrated to be useful to develop supercapacitors, for
production of ethanol, and to improve the immune resistance of plants
and animals. In this review, we provide an opportunity for readers
to realize the unique nature of water hyacinth and its potential to
be used to develop products for various applications.
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