Chapter 12 Large-scale and Industrial Utilisation - Anamed

The use of aquatic plants for purifying effluent water has achieved great
popularity in recent years. Paradoxically, it is possible that if water hyacinth
were to be used by local authorities and industries for cleaning up their wastes,
given efficient filtering at the purified water outlet to collect broken off plant
parts and seeds, the conditions for water hyacinth growth downstream would be
considerably less ideal.
12.7 Possibilities for the use of water hyacinth in food and pharmaceuticals
12.7.1 Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)
MCC produced from water hyacinth was found to be comparable with
commercial MCC in almost all respects, in tests made at the food and
Fermentation Technology Division of the Department of Chemical Technology
at the University of Bombay, see Gaonkar and Kulkarni (1987). It was tested
with good results as a thickening agent with mango juice and as an anti-caking
agent for powdered sugar.
12.7.2 Cellulase
The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in India has
undertaken a cost-benefit analysis for the production of cellulase from water
hyacinth, which is to be harvested from Akkulam Lake in Kerala, a major tourist
attraction near Thiruvananthapuram. The plant will process 4,000 kg/day
harvested water hyacinth to produce 400,000 IU cellulase enzyme and 180kg
compost. The investment payback period was estimated as 4.5 years, with 50%
of the capital cost as grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Environment and Forests,
Government of India. The cost benefit analysis considered both the direct
(cellulase and compost) as well as the indirect (recreational, health, navigational
and fisheries) benefits, see Khanna 1998.
12.7.3 Possibilities with pharmaceuticals
It has been claimed that protein and amino acid concentrates extracted from
water hyacinth leaves contain vitamin A, which could be isolated. The roots and
rhizomes yield stigmasterol which is used in some synthetic steroidal drugs. It
has been reported also that the roots contain diosgenin, used in the synthesis of
first progesterone and then cortisone. Homeopathic medicines have also been
made from water hyacinth, see Haider (undated). We are not aware, however, of
any recent publications on this subject, nor of any project that produces
pharmaceuticals.
Chapter 12 Large Scale and Industrial Utilisation Page 87