Transforming aquatic weeds into resources: Pontederia crassipes, water hyacinth mining for circular bioeconomy

Globally, a positive shift to renewable and sustainable bioenergy usage has been witnessed over the years. An ideal resource should contribute equally to bioeconomy, circular economy and sustainable development. One such less explored resource is an aquatic weed, Pontederia crassipes, commonly known as water hyacinth, which is documented as one of the major invasive aquatic weeds due to its rapid reproduction, capacity to deplete nutrients from water bodies, and adaptation to new habitats. In particular, water hyacinths, which are abundant in India, are a rich source of nutrients and lignocellulosic biomass that may be utilized as a precursor for producing bioenergy and biofuel. At present all management and control strategies lack sustainable use of water hyacinth and in turn harm the surrounding ecosystem. This abundant source of biomass is underutilized, undermanaged, and difficult to collect. Tapping into management and harvesting strategies with efficient biomass conversion from water hyacinth, could lead to solutions for multi-level problems of current circular bioeconomic challenges in India. In this review, we critically discuss water hyacinth issues and management strategies and their potential use as a circular bioeconomic resource using relevant business models and case studies. To efficiently harvest, we present unique weed mining methodologies for the successful collection, treatment, and long-term utilization of the aforementioned bioresource. As a direct result, there may be a feasible answer to the growing need for biomass and bioenergy. Using water hyacinth, an invasive weed by nature, in a circular bioeconomic manner would also significantly advance numerous UN sustainable development objectives.

Graphical Abstract