The present pilot-scale, field experiment was conducted to evaluate
the efficacy of recycling water hyacinth material for swine
wastewater treatment. Field observations indicated that a highly
polluted pond tended to appear cleaner around the patches of dead
water hyacinth. Further analysis showed that the water hyacinth
straw attained a higher level of total phosphorus (TP) in contact
with biogas fluid (Chen et al., 2010). Our hypothesis was that the
spongy tissue of water hyacinth stalks functioned like an adsorbent
adsorbing particulate pollutants. Through its abundant surface
area, the stalks promoted the growth of microorganisms, algae
and zooplankton fostering a micro-ecosystem that became a natural
biological treatment environment.