Water Hyacinth Research Articles

Preservation of chicken egg quality using pectin derived from water hyacinth

This study investigates the potential of pectin derived from water hyacinth, an aquatic floating weed, as a coating material for chicken eggshells to preserve egg quality and extend shelf life. A total of 240 fresh chicken eggs were divided into four groups: 1) uncoated (control), 2) coated with a 2 % chitosan solution, 3) coated with a 1.5 % solution of pectin from water hyacinth, and 4) coated with a 2.5 % solution of pectin from water hyacinth. The eggs were stored at room temperature for 35 days before egg quality parameters, including weight loss, Haugh unit, yolk index, and albumen pH, were measured on a weekly basis. The results showed that eggs coated with water hyacinth pectin exhibited significantly lower weight loss and albumen pH (p < 0.05) compared to the uncoated eggs. Furthermore, the water hyacinth pectin coating effectively maintained the Haugh unit at Grade A levels for up to 28 days of storage. These findings suggest that the water hyacinth pectin coating acts as a protective barrier, limiting the transfer of water and carbon dioxide through the eggshell, thereby preserving egg quality and extending shelf life. In summary, water hyacinth pectin demonstrated promising potential as an environmentally friendly coating material, offering an alternative approach to maintaining egg quality and extending shelf life.

ANALISIS MEKANIK DAN TERMAL MATERIAL KOMPOSIT BERBASIS SERAT ECENG GONDOK SEBAGAI BAHAN KEMASAN RAMAH LINGKUNGAN

This study aims to analyze the mechanical and thermal properties of water hyacinth fiber-based composite materials as an alternative to environmentally friendly packaging materials. This composite material is produced by mixing water hyacinth fiber with a natural polymer matrix that can decompose easily. Manufacturing methods include mixing, pressing, and thermal treatment processes. The mechanical properties of composite materials, including tensile strength and resistance to deformation, are tested using tensile tests and hardness tests. Thermal analysis is carried out through thermogravimetric tests (TGA) to identify the thermal stability and decomposition of the material. The results showed that the water hyacinth fiber-based composite materials had fairly good mechanical properties in certain mixture compositions, although they were not as strong as composite materials using synthetic fibers. However, this material shows potential in packaging applications that do not require extreme mechanical strength. The mechanical properties of the water hyacinth fiber composite produced lead to the fulfillment of the need for use as packaging, which is light, flexible and not easily broken. The thermal properties of the composites show faster decomposition compared to synthetic fiber based composites, but are still within the acceptable range for single-use packaging. With its environmentally friendly properties, this composite material can be an attractive alternative to reduce the use of plastic in the packaging industry. Nonetheless, improvements in manufacturing processes and material formulations are still required to improve their mechanical and thermal properties and maintain packaging durability under diverse usage conditions.

Watermoss Mulching Stimulates the Productivity and Physiochemical Properties of Strawberry in the Tropical Ecosystem of Southern Bangladesh

Strawberry is one of the most lucrative antioxidants and phytochemicals enriched temperate fruits. Nevertheless, good-quality fruit production requires special soil management practices like mulching and other strategies in tropical and sub-tropical regimes with short and dry winters. In the present research, strawberry var. BARI Strawberry-3 was cultivated using Asian watermoss (AW), water hyacinth (WH), paddy straw (PS), black polythene (BP), and silver polythene (SP) mulching along with control at the tropical weather-inclined southern part of Bangladesh from October 2018 to April 2019. The aim was to evaluate the comparative influences of those organic and synthetic mulches on root and shoot growth phenology along with subsequent reproductive behaviors, fruit yield, and fruit biochemical properties of strawberries under such an ecosystem. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Mulching exhibited statistical superiority over control for strawberry growth, yield, and fruit quality indicators, where organic mulches performed better than others. Among the mulches, AW mulching produced the healthiest plant, having maximum plant height (20.40 cm), leaf number (23.33 per plant), canopy diameter (34.30 cm), single leaf area (100.06 cm2), and root length (19.05 cm) resulting in the highest root and shoot biomass. Though the plants received AW mulch required maximum duration from transplanting to flowering (47.88 days) and flowering to harvest (29.60 days), those plants produced the highest number of flowers (21.20 per plant) as well as fruits (19.63 per plant), and ultimately the utmost fruit yield (370.02 g/plant and 15.42 kg/ha) being significantly dissonant from all other treatments. Thus, a 57.57% yield increase over control was recorded from AW mulching. Furthermore, statistically, the maximum total soluble solids (TSS) (9.93%), TSS/acidity ratio (17.37), and vitamin C (58.30 mg/100 g), but the minimum titratable acidity (0.57%) content of strawberry was noticed in AW treatment. WH and BP mulches had statistical consistency with the best treatment for a few attributes. Therefore, crop residues, aquatic plants, or their by-products can be used as mulch for quality strawberry production in dry winter, especially in tropical and subtropical regions.

Effect of co-digestion with water hyacinth, inoculum concentration and dilution on biogas production of fish waste

A report from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) estimates that 9.1 million tons of Fish wastes (FW) are thrown away each year. Water hyacinth (WH) is the most invasive water weed that thrives in freshwater water and has impacts on the environment, ecology, and society. The waste generated is either discarded onto the open ground or disposed into pits which result in environmental pollution and health hazards. FW and WH can be used for biogas production. However, FW digests quickly and produces a lot of ammonia and Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) which inhibit the digestion when digested alone, it has also a low carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio; consequently, it is not directly suitable for anaerobic digestion (AD). In this regard, co-digestion with WH (high C/N ratio) prior to AD is necessary. To examine the effects of the operating factors: Substrate ratio (WH: FW), Inoculum concentration (IC) and Dilution, Central composite design (CCD) in Design Expert 13 software was used to design experiments of three factors at five levels which resulted in 17 runs. Laboratory scale experiments were carried out under mesophilic temperature (37 ℃). The maximum biogas with the highest methane content of 68.15% was produced at the substrate ratio of 25:75 g/ 250 mL (WH: FW), 15 g/ 250 mL of IC and dilution of 95 mL. The biogas yield increased by 16.1% and 32.4% compared to pure WH and FW respectively. This implied that the operating conditions were efficient in maximising the biogas yield. FW had a lower C/N ratio; further study needs to consider co-digestion with other higher C/N ratio substrates.

Biodegradation and sorption of nutrients and endocrine disruptors in a novel concrete-based substrate in vertical-flow constructed wetlands

Removing phosphorus and endocrine-disruptors (EDC) is still challenging for low-cost sewage treatment systems. This study investigated the efficiency of three vertical-flow constructed wetlands (VFCW) vegetated with Eichhornia crassipes onto red clay (CW-RC), autoclaved aerated concrete (CW-AC), and composite from the chemical activation of autoclaved aerated concrete with white cement (CW-AAC) in the removal of organic matter, nutrients, and estrone, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol. The novelty aspect of this study is related to selecting these clay and cementitious-based materials in removing endocrine disruptors and nutrients in VFCW. The subsurface VFCW were operated in sequencing-batch mode (cycles of 48-48-72 h), treating synthetic wastewater for 308 days. The operation consisted of Stages I and II, different by adding EDC in Stage II. The presence of EDC increased the competition for dissolved oxygen (DO) and reduced the active sites available for adsorption, diminishing the removal efficiencies of TKN and TAN and total phosphorus in the systems. CW-RC showed a significant increase in COD removal from 65% to 91%, while CW-AC and CW-AAC maintained stable COD removal (84%–82% and 78%–81%, respectively). Overall, the substrates proved effective in removing EDC, with CW-AC and CW-AAC achieving >60% of removal. Bacteria Candidatus Brocadia and Candidatus Jettenia, responsible for carrying out the Anammox process, were identified in assessing the microbial community structure. According to the mass balance analysis, adsorption is the main mechanism for removing TP in CW-AC and CW-AAC, while other losses were predominant in CW-RC. Conversely, for TN removal, the adsorption is more representative in CW-RC, and the different metabolic routes of microorganisms, biofilm assimilation, and partial ammonia volatilization in CW-AC and CW-AAC. The results suggest that the composite AAC is the most suitable material for enhancing the simultaneous removal of organic matter, nutrients, and EDC in VFCW under the evaluated operational conditions.

Use of Some Natural Materials to Reduce Concentrations of some Heavy Metals in Polluted Water and Possibility of Using Them for Irrigation in Calcareous Agricultural Soils

To evaluate efficiency of some natural materials in using them as filters to reduce concentrations of some heavy elements in polluted water, and possibility of using them for irrigation in calcareous agricultural soils, two experiments were conducted, first is laboratory, which is treatment of various polluted waters, namely industrial water, gray water, and river water using three natural treatment materials as filters, which are activated charcoal, Eichhornia crassipes plant powder, Ceratophyllum plant powder. Poles made of polyethylene were used with a length of 100 cm and a diameter of 10 cm equipped with a tap from bottom, a layer of glass wool was placed at bottom, and then treatment materials were placed on top of it at a height of 50 cm. A piece of gauze cloth was placed over it for filter polluted water from solids. Polluted water was passed after filtering from top of column and left for 24 hours for equilibrium, then filtrate was collected from bottom of column. Second experiment, it is biology, as an experiment was conducted in pots of 20 kg capacity, using calcareous soil with a Loamy texture, and Dodonaea seedlings (one of fence plants) were planted. NPK fertilizers were added to it according to fertilizer recommendation, and irrigation was done with tap water after 50% of available water was depleted by gravimetric method. Results showed the following: 1-High concentrations of heavy metals, each of Lead, Ccadmium, Zinc and Nickel in industrial water, where they reached 5.190, 0.043, 3.727 and 0.371 mg L-1, respectively, exceeding limits allowed by World Food and Health Organization for each of Cadmium, Zinc and Nickel, while concentrations of Lead is within internationally permitted limits. As for gray water, Cadmium concentrations exceeded internationally permitted limits, while concentrations of Lead, Zinc and Nickel were within internationally permitted limits. In river water, they were within internationally permitted limits. 2. Decreased concentrations of heavy metals in polluted water treated with various natural treatment materials compared to their concentrations before treatment. The materials used in treatment can be arranged according to their efficiency in adsorption of heavy metals from industrial and gray water as follows: -activated charcoal > Eichhornia crassipes powder > Ceratophyllum powder > Arundo donax plant_powder. 3-High available concentrations of heavy metals in soils passed through polluted water compared to soils irrigated with treated water. Total concentrations were 34.436, 18.227, 8.064 mg kg-1 soil, 31.064, 16.884, 6.190 mg kg-1 soil, 32.860, 12.670, 4.930 mg kg-1 soil, 0.465, 3.680, and 0.590 mg kg-1 soil for Lead and Cadmium elements and Zinc and Nickel in succession and industrial water and gray water and river water successively, after 100 days of cultivation. 4-High concentrations of heavy metals in plants irrigated with different polluted water compared to plants irrigated with different treated water after 100 days of cultivation. Plants irrigated with polluted and treated water can be arranged according to concentration of heavy metals in them as follows: - industrial water > gray water > river water.

Introduce invasive alien macrophytes species in Indonesia national priority lakes (study case: lake Rawa Pening, Sentarum, Tempe, Tondano, Sentani)

According to Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 60 of 2021, 15 lakes are classified as Indonesia’s national priority lakes. From 15 lakes, five of them are Tempe (South Sulawesi), Sentarum (West Kalimantan), Rawa Pening (Central Java), Tondano (North Sulawesi) and Sentani (Papua). Aquatic macrophytes are aquatic photosynthetic organisms that can be seen with the naked eye and actively grow periodically or permanently beneath, on, or above the water’s surface. The national priority lakes face upon invasive aquatic macrophytes. Therefore, their presence must be controlled. This research purposed to introduce invasive aquatic macrophytes in several of Indonesia’s national priority lakes. The aquatic macrophytes are recorded using a purposive sampling method with plots square (1x1 m2) and three replications. All aquatic macrophytes were documented, including species, family, population numbers, life forms and origin. The research from these five national priority lakes discovered a total of 10 families and 14 species of invasive aquatic macrophytes. The families were Pontederiaceea, Onagraceae, Polygonaceae, Lentibulariaceae, Araceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Schropulariaceae, Alismataceae, Salviniaceae, and Hydrocharitaceae. The invasive aquatic macrophytes such as Monochoria hastata, Eichhornia crassipes, Persicaria barbata, Ludwigia adscendens, Utricularia aurea, Ludwigia perennis, Pistia stratiotes, Ludwigia peruviana, Cyperus odoratus, Panicum repens, Bacopa floribunda, Limnocharis flava, Salvinia natans, and Hydrilla verticillata. The research result can be used as guidelines for good lakes management.

Magnetite nanoparticles decorated on cellulose aerogel for p-nitrophenol Fenton degradation: Effects of the active phase loading, cross-linker agent and preparation method

Magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) are among the most effective Fenton-Like heterogeneous catalysts for degrading environmental contaminants. However, Fe3O4 NPs aggregate easily and have poor dispersion stability because of their magnetic properties, which seriously decrease their catalytic efficiency. In this study, a novel environmentally friendly method for synthesising Fe3O4@CA was proposed. Fe3O4 NPs were immobilized on the 3D cellulose aerogels (CAs) in order to augment the degradation efficiency of p-nitrophenol (PNP) treatment and make the separation of the catalyst accessible by vacuum filtration method. Besides, CAs were fabricated from a cellulose source extracted from water hyacinth by using different cross-linking agents, such as kymene (KM) and polyvinyl alcohol–glutaraldehyde system (PVA–GA), and other drying methods, including vacuum thermal drying and freeze drying, were evaluated in the synthesis process. As-synthesized samples were analysed by various methods, including Powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller. Then, using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, the difference in the degradability of PNP of the obtained material samples was also investigated to determine their potential applications. Results highlighted that the Fe3O4-3@CA-KF catalyst with an Fe3O4 loading of 0.40 g/gCA used KM as a cross-linker and the freeze-drying method demonstrated the highest PNP removal efficiency (92.5 %) in all Fe3O4@CA samples with a H2O2 content of 5 g/L. The degradation kinetics and well-fitted pseudo-first-order model were investigated. Notably, after five successive PNP degradation experiments, this catalyst retained ∼80 % of the ability to degrade PNP, indicating its outstanding reusability. In environmental remediation, this study provides valuable insights into the development of simply separated and high-efficiency catalysts for heterogeneous catalytic reactions.

Floating marine debris influx in the intertidal zone of offshore islands in Bangladesh: A case study of Manpura Island

Marine Debris is all-pervading in the world's oceans. In this research, for the first time, Floating Marine Debris (FMD) accumulation in the intertidal zone of Manprua island, an offshore island of Bangladesh, is reported. The assessment has been done by integrating both physical investigations and questionnaire survey. The Study shows high debris density on the windward and river-facing sides of the island. The density of debris items in this area varies from 550,000 to 60,000 items per km2 (8.5 to 0.08 g/m2) for transect samples during low tide and 350,000 to 60,000 items per km2 (5.76 to 1.20 g/m2) for net samples during high tide. However, the most damaging debris items are uprooted trees and water hyacinths because they hinder fishing activities. This study provides baseline information on FMD in the Meghna Estuary, which can be used as a reference for sustainable monitoring and management of marine pollution.

Removal of some Heavy Metals from Industrial Wastewater and Gray Water by using some Natural and Organic Materials

A study was conducted for knowing the quantity and quality of heavy metal ions adsorbed on surfaces of treatment materials used in treatment of polluted water and to know the most efficient in removal process. Study included conducting two experiments, the first is laboratory, which is treatment of two polluted waters, namely industrial water and gray water, using four natural treatment materials as filters, which are activated Charcoal, Eichhornia crassipes plant powder, Ceratophyllum plant powder, and Arundo donax plant powder. It used poles made of polyethylene with a length of 100 cm and a diameter of 10 cm equipped with a tap from bottom, a layer of glass wool was placed at bottom, and then treatment materials were placed on top of it at a height of 50 cm. A piece of gauze cloth was placed over it for filtering polluted water from solids. Polluted water was passed after being filtered from top of column and left for 24 hours for equilibrium, then filtrate was collected from bottom of column. Second experiment, it is liberation experiment for heavy metals adsorbed on treated materials, where heavy metals were extracted by a 0.005M concentration of DTPA solution. This process was repeated five times for same treatment material and concentration of heavy metals adsorbed was measured each time. Results showed the following: 1-High concentrations of heavy metals, each of Lead, Cadmium, Zinc and Nickel in industrial water, where they reached 5.190, 0.043, 3.727 and 0.371 mg L-1, respectively, exceeding the limits allowed by World Food and Health Organization for each of Cadmium, Zinc and Nickel, while concentrations of Lead is within internationally permitted limits. As for the gray water, concentrations of Cadmium excelled the internationally permitted limits, while concentrations of Lead, Zinc and Nickel were within internationally permitted limits. 2-Concentration of Lead and Cadmium in all materials used in bioremediation, with exception of coal, exceeded internationally permitted limits in plants. Concentrations of Zinc and Nickel in all materials used in bioremediation did not exceed the internationally permitted limits, while coal did not record the presence of Zinc and Nickel because it is a porous, burned carbonaceous material. 3-Increasing amount of heavy metals liberated from various treatment materials through bioreclamation process in first three extractions, then it began to gradually decrease in fourth and fifth extractions. The different treatment materials varied in amount of heavy metals released, and they can be arranged as follows in terms of amount released of heavy metals: Eichhornia crassipes plant powder > Ceratophyllum plant powder > activated charcoal > Arundo donax plant powder. 4-Highest amount of heavy metals was released from materials used in industrial water, then gray water for Lead and Cadmium, while treatment materials used in industrial water and then gray water excelled in amount released for elements Zinc and Nickel.

Durability against Wetting and Drying Cycles and Installation Damage of Water Hyacinth Geotextiles Coated with Natural Rubber Latex

Durability against Wetting and Drying Cycles and Installation Damage of Water Hyacinth Geotextiles Coated with Natural Rubber Latex

Increased Concrete Strength with the Addition of Hyacinth Natural Fibers

Concrete is a brittle and fragile construction material so it needs to be increased in strength. This study aims to increase the strength of concrete by adding natural fibers of water hyacinth to the concrete mixture. Hyacinth fibers are cut by 3-5 cm and added with variations of 0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.5% of the volume of concrete. Cylindrical specimens 15 cm in diameter and 30 cm in height were tested for compressive strength and tensile strength at the age of 28 days. The test results showed that the addition of hyacinth fiber up to 0.5% increased the compressive strength of concrete up to 17.6% and tensile strength up to 71.4% compared to normal concrete without fiber. The increase in strength is due to hyacinth fibers being able to withstand micro-cracks in concrete. The more fiber added, the more microcracks are able to be prevented thereby increasing the strength of concrete. In conclusion, the natural fiber of hyacinth effectively increases the strength of concrete both in compressive and tensile capacity.

Stable and easily detachable cellulose-based membrane system inspired by water hyacinth for efficient heavy metals removal from water

Stable and easily detachable cellulose-based membrane system inspired by water hyacinth for efficient heavy metals removal from water

HABITAT DAN POPULASI BELIBIS KEMBANG (Dendrocygna arcuata) DI DESA BANGGOI KECAMATAN BULA BARAT KABUPATEN SERAM BAGIAN TIMUR

This study aims to determine the Habitat and Population of the Wandering Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arcuata) in Banggoi Village, West Bula District, East Seram District. This research was conducted using the IPA Method. From the results of the study it turned out that of these three types of habitat, the ones most often used by flower grouse in carrying out activities such as eating, drinking and playing were mostly carried out in swamps. But for the nesting activity of the flower grouse it is usually done in the bushes. Wandering Whistling Duck (D. arcuata), do more activities in the late afternoon and evening, this is because this species is often used as a hunted animal by the community. The population of flower grouse in the study area was found as many as 76 individuals, and more were found in line 3. This was due to the fact that in this research line the main food of the Wandering Whistling Duck (D. arcuata), namely water hyacinth (Eicchornia crassipes) was found.

C-banding characterization of centric fusion and heterochromatin polymorphisms in the water-hyacinth grasshopper, Cornops aquaticum (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Abstract The water-hyacinth grasshopper, Cornops aquaticum (Orthoptera: Acrididae), shows a clinal variation for 3 Robertsonian translocation (centric fusion) polymorphisms in the southern extreme of its wide geographical distribution. It is a Neotropical semiaquatic grasshopper that lives, feeds, and lays eggs exclusively on floating plants of the family Pontederiaceae, or water-hyacinths, between 23° N (Southern Mexico) and 35° S (Central Argentina and Uruguay). Given the invasive-species status of Pontederia (formerly Eichhornia) crassipes and the voraciousness of these grasshoppers, they were considered as a potential biological control agent in addition to other natural enemies. We already described the association of the rearrangements with geographical and climatic variables, phenotypic variation, trivalent orientation, effects on recombination, and relationship with microsatellite variability. Here we analyze the distribution of constitutive heterochromatin in 2 populations of C. aquaticum in order to (i) provide consistent markers for a better distinction between all chromosomes, those which are involved in the centric fusions, and those which are not, and (ii) describe possible polymorphisms for C-positive supernumerary segments, given that, on conventional staining analysis, it was frequent to find heteromorphic autosomal bivalents. The cytogenetic analysis allowed us to get a detailed characterization of the constitutive heterochromatin distribution, providing unmistakable chromosome markers of the large, fusion-bearing chromosomes as well as the C-positive, polymorphic supernumerary segments.

The Mechanical Properties of a Water Hyacinth/Rice Husk Powders Composite for Tissue Engineering Applications

In this study, composites made from water hyacinth powder (WPH) and rice husk powder (RH) were created using the hot press method, and the composites were characterized to determine their suitability for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering. The mixing ratio of WPH/RH was investigated. Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed the presence of chemical bonds in the composites under investigation. Tensile tests were used to investigate the mechanical properties of the composite, which revealed that adding water WPH to the rice husk composite reduced the composite's strength. A composite with a 5% WPH content had the highest tensile strength of 32.72 MPa. Meanwhile, the mechanical strength of the other composites studied ranged from 25,537 MPa to 29.43 MPa. However, the elastic modulus of the composite increased with the addition of WPH. The SEM image shows that the powder distribution is less even, the interface between WPH-RH and polyester is quite tight, and the composite contains a number of voids. Characterization of the developed composite demonstrates that the WPH/RH addition ratio can be adjusted to achieve the desired composite properties for tissue engineering and cartilage regeneration applications.

Enhancement of alkali- and oxidation-modified biochars derived from water hyacinth for ammonium adsorption capacity

ABSTRACT Wastewater containing high concentrations of ammonium-nitrogen (NH4 +-N) is considered a major concern because its untreated discharge has a variety of adverse effects on the environment and human health. Adsorption using biochars is an easy and cost-effective wastewater treatment method. However, aquatic plants such as water hyacinth for biochar feedstock are considered unsuitable for adsorbent use due to limited NH4 +-N adsorption capacity. In this study, biochar made from water hyacinth was modified with potassium hydroxide (KOH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to obtain highly efficient adsorbent. This study aimed to enhance NH4 +-N adsorption capacity by KOH- and H2O2-treatments and identify NH4 +-N adsorption mechanism of the modified biochars derived from water hyacinth. The NH4 +-N adsorption of all biochars was dependent on the initial solution pH increasing from pH 2 to 4, then relatively constant from pH 4 to 8. Pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir model were found to be the best fit for NH4 +-N adsorption data. The maximum NH4 +-N adsorption capacity of biochars increased about 8 times (17.1 mg g−1) and 10 times (21.5 mg g−1) after KOH- and H2O2-modification, respectively, compared to pristine biochar (2.14 mg g−1). The main NH4 +-N adsorption mechanisms were suggested as cation exchange for both biochars particularly KOH-modified biochar, and hydrogen bonding by oxygen-containing surface functional groups for H2O2-modified biochar. This study suggested that aquatic plant-based biochar, which has been considered difficult to use, had potential as a promising alternative adsorbent for removing NH4 +-N from wastewater through modification.

A facile, green strategy to synthesize N/P self-doped, biomass-derived, hierarchical porous carbon from water hyacinth for efficient VOCs adsorption

Carbon materials prepared using conventional strategies tend to have serious defects such as low porosity and a single pore structure, which compromise their VOC removal performance. Herein we report on a group of experimental porous carbons that were fabricated using water hyacinth (WH) as the starting material which is abundant in of N and P. The experimental results showed that the HWK-H prepared using a co-hydrothermal method exhibited the best performance in adsorbing methylbenzene with a saturated adsorption capacity of 624.7 mg/g. The results of several characterization tests revealed that HWK-H exhibited a high specific surface area (2199.9 m2/g), large pore volume (1.415 cm3/g), a specific micro/mesoporous structure, surface functional groups (mainly C = O, C-O and COOH), and a very disordered structure. All these properties were the reason for its superb methylbenzene adsorption performance. DFT calculations showed that the presence of N and P groups in the samples improved the energy of adsorption of the porous carbon materials for methylbenzene, thereby promoting its adsorption. GCMC simulation results also revealed that the carbon's micro/mesoporous pores in the range of 0.45–5.0 nm also facilitated the adsorption of methylbenzene. In addition, the multi-component co-adsorption performance and reusability of HWK-H were evaluated and the results showed that HWK-H offered good prospects for industrial application.

Water Hyacinth Fiber as a Bio-Based Carbon Source for Intumescent Flame-Retardant Poly (Butylene Succinate) Composites.

In this study, flame-retardant poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) composites were developed utilizing a bio-based intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system. Water hyacinth fiber (WHF) was used as a bio-based carbon source, while ammonium polyphosphate (APP) served as both an acid source and a blowing agent. Effects of WHF:APP weight ratio and total IFR content on the thermal stability and flammability of WHF/APP/PBS composites were investigated. The results demonstrated that the 15WHF/30APP/PBS composite with a WHF to APP ratio of 1:2 and a total IFR content of 45 wt% had a maximum limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 28.8% and acquired good flame retardancy, with a UL-94 V-0 rating without polymer-melt dripping. Additionally, its peak heat release rate (pHRR) and total heat release (THR) were, respectively, 53% and 42% lower than those of the neat PBS. Char residue analysis revealed that the optimal WHF:APP ratio and total IFR content promoted the formation of a high graphitized intumescent char with a continuous and dense structure. In comparison to the neat PBS, the tensile modulus of the 15WHF/30APP/PBS composite increased by 163%. Findings suggested the possibility of employing WHF, a natural fiber, as an alternative carbon source for intumescent flame-retardant PBS composites.

Extraction and Physicochemical and Thermomechanical Characterizations of Water Hyacinth Fibers Eichhornia crassipes

The presence of floating plants is becoming an uncontrollable issue on the banks of Douala, Cameroon, notably in the city of Bonaberi, where the water hyacinth is expanding incredibly quickly. The aim of this study is to evaluate the mechanical and physicochemical performance of water hyacinth fibers for pulp manufacture. To this end, tensile tests on fiber bundles in accordance with ISO 13934-1:2013, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), chemical composition evaluation in accordance with ASTM 1972 and 1977, and absorption rate were carried out. The results obtained indicate that the fiber is composed of a variety of fibrils with irregular cross-sections, with an average diameter ranging from 0.02 to 0.09 mm. The fibers absorb 42.03% of their weight in water, and their density ranges from 1.23 to 1.45 g/cm3. According to mechanical tests, the fiber has a maximum tensile strength of around 0.64 MPa, a specific modulus of 6.45 MPa/g/cm3, and an elongation at break of 1.8%. For the chemical characteristics of the fiber, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents are 68.3%, 11.3%, and 7.4%, respectively, while pectin and ash content concentrations are 4.8% and 7.8%, respectively. Thus, in order to determine whether the plant is suitable for making pulp and paper, this investigation was conducted to examine its fiber properties. It was found that the water hyacinth fibers were superior to flax straw and jute fibers in all qualities, but not as good as silk cotton and bagasse fibers. Given the information above, water hyacinth has been recognized as a potential raw material for the pulp and paper industries, though.