In conclusion, water hyacinth, considered as a ‘nuisance’ can be harvested from water bodies and used in waste
water treatment, after which it can be converted to other useful products. This process can be established at a
fraction of the cost required for a conventional treatment system even though will most likely require more land
and produce large plant biomass for which utilization skills such as biogas production, and/or precious metal
recovery or other uses can be devised, very unlike the conventional methods that produce waste that still has to be
discharged to the environment. Phytoremediation, using water hyacinth, is economically viable, ecologically
suitable and socially acceptable, and can therefore be said to be a more sustainable method for industrial waste
water treatment