Critical assessment of biorefinery approaches for efficient management and resource recovery from water hyacinths for sustainable utilization

Water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) is a free-floating macrophyte and an abundantly available species of aquatic weeds worldwide. This species is widely dispersed among rivers, lakes, and other water bodies. Exceptional proliferation rate, ability to adapt to a varied range of ecosystems, and aggressive growth are its prominent features. These characteristics pose a serious threat to surface water bodies by restricting light and air transfer rates. As a result, runoff, navigation, and fishing in the waterbodies are hindered. In addition, the growth of water hyacinths in waterbodies provides a suitable ecosystem for the propagation of pests and insects, which spreads diseases, subsequently reduces the water quality, and diminishes the useful flora and fauna of the waterbodies. Different physical, chemical, and biological control measures have been employed so far to eradicate these weeds and have partly alleviated the problems. However, the approaches of transforming water hyacinths into useful resources such as agricultural products, e.g., compost, biofertilizer, and mulch, energy resources such as bioethanol, biomethane, biohydrogen, and biochar, and other resources such as biopolymers, animal feed and fish feed, and high-value chemicals have been gaining popularity in the last decade. These are the sustainable approaches to manage this issue. Furthermore, water hyacinth has potential applications in phytoremediation, including removing toxic, heavy metals, and inorganic and organic pollutants. Here, our goal is to characterize the morphology of water hyacinth biomass and evaluate its potential for environmental and bioenergy-based applications. Additionally, an in-depth discussion on the potential of water hyacinths to produce promising socioeconomic impacts by nurturing communities and empowering downtrodden people is also highlighted here.