Addressing Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) Problem through Composting: Exploring its Potential as a Organic Soil Amendment

Abstract

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a rapidly growing aquatic weed with extreme environmental impacts. The primary focus of this research was to consider its application as compost for sustainable agriculture through the assessment of the contribution of composting to the quality of the compost and as a soil amendment. Anaerobic water hyacinth composting using the Orgadec activator for 14 weeks produced 156 kg compost at 21.67% yield. Compost was evaluated through color reading, odor, temperature, pH, and chemical composition, i.e., macronutrient content (N, P, K), sulfur (S), C-organic, C/N ratio, and heavy metal. Compost temperature was 33.19 °C on average during composting. Chemical properties were analyzed as follows: N (1.13%), P (0.62%), K (0.78%), S (1978 ppm), C-organic (25.12%), and C/N ratio as 22.23. Comparison carried out with the Ministry of Agriculture Decree No. 261/KPYS/SR.310/M/4/2019 revealed that all the parameters conformed to the stipulated guidelines except the moisture content, which recorded less than the minimum value at 5.66%. The evaluation of the compost proved that compost from water hyacinth meets the technical specifications set for organic soil amendments as it has an equally balanced profile of nutrients and very low heavy metal concentrations. The results confirm that composting successfully enhances the quality of water hyacinth, making it a viable alternative for utilization as an organic soil amendment. Therefore, composting is a possible technique for converting this invasive weed into a useful product for sustainable agriculture, while at the same time reducing its negative environmental effects.