Appraising the Control and Benefits of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes [Mart.] Solms)

In this review, the available management technologies for the water hyacinth (WH) menace were first appraised. In this case, the mechanical (physical), chemical, and biological options were investigated regarding their respective merits and demerits. Although the chemical option is effective, it was observed that it is not as benign as the biological option, which is considered the green technology for WH control. Further, the numerous benefits of WH were evaluated. These include agricultural, biochemical, chemical, industrial, and environmental benefits. WH's energy and water purification potentials (regarding extraction of biogas, bioethanol, and biodiesel) have surpassed other research areas into the use of the macrophyte due to the ongoing demand to satisfy global energy and water needs. Overall, the once-considered blatant environmental hindrance is now being cultured and managed to provide many benefits for human and animal survival.