Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Making Extreme-event-stable Shorelines with Hyacinth (MESH)
EPA Grant Number: SU840400Title: Making Extreme-event-stable Shorelines with Hyacinth (MESH)
Investigators: Hustvedt, Gwendolyn , Cade, Tina , Mettenbrink, Eliot , Kenchanna, Dhanush , Brooks, Nicole , Delong, Daniela , Mendoza, Jennifer , Fogelsong, Grace , Galan, Mya
Institution: Texas State University
EPA Project Officer: Spatz, Kyle
Phase: I
Project Period: July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023
Project Amount: $25,000
RFA: 18th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, is one of the most invasive plant species worldwide (Holm et al., 1977; Tanaka et al., 2002). The problems caused by water hyacinth include obstructing waterways, impeding drainage, destroying wildlife resources, reducing outdoor recreation opportunities, and lowering dissolved oxygen levels resulting in reduced available oxygen for animals and other plants (ToG et al., 2003). Harvesting and using the plant for animal feed, compost, fertilizer, energy (biofuel) and a source of cellulose for paper have been explored (Gopal, 1987) but the use of the stems of the plant, with minimal processing, as a material for weaving also has a long history in Southeast Asia.
The research and design goals of this project are to 1) evaluate the ability of the water hyacinth to be woven into landscaping mesh suitable for preventing shoreline erosion and 2) design and demonstrate additional, value-added products for horticulture.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The first activity was to develop a dependable method of processing the water hyacinth removed from local waterways as part of invasive species remediation. The goal of the processing was to separate the longest and strongest portion of the stems and then dry them to facilitate weaving. Unfortunately, despite their use in craft products such as baskets and sandals, where the stems are used as bundles, our investigation determined that water hyacinth stems alone do not possess sufficient tensile strength to produce large-scale textiles. Although the short stems can be rehydrated after processing to enable the knotting of stems and the formation of long cords, this process is time-consuming, and the cords inevitably dry out again, rendering the material inflexible and unsuitable for manipulation and transportation until rehydrated. Consequently, the original project objective of testing the woven mesh prototypes for erosion prevention was unattainable for the current team.
Fortunately, these setbacks motivated the participating students to explore alternative avenues for economically, socially, and environmentally beneficial uses of water hyacinth collected during invasive species removal. The team identified three additional experiments that could be conducted with the available materials. Trials conducted in March 2023 demonstrated that the "flotation pods" of the hyacinth plants, short bulbous stems that support the plants on the water and are less suitable for cord applications, can be pulped and transformed into sheets that can effectively incorporate seeds to support germination. In addition to exploring the use of waste hyacinth in paper-based structures, other value-added uses suitable for both short water hyacinth stems and the accompanying roots and leaves, were identified. These include vermiculture (composing with worms and adding fungal spores to produce edible food products and mycelium-bound hyacinth aggregate structures.
Conclusions:
This research suggests that as immediate composing of water hyacinth following removal from waterways will continue to be a dependable disposal method, the use of portions of the plant in small scale textile production will not reliably produce additional economic benefits. However, local craft-based weaving with the plant does present an entry point for social benefits related to increased visibility of the problems of invasive species.
References:
Holm, L. G., Plucknet, D. L., Panch, J. V., & Herbeger, J. P. (1977). The world’s worst weeds: distribution and biology, 18th Edition. University Press.
Gopal, B. (1987). Aquatic plant studies 1: water hyacinth. Elsevier Science.
Tanaka, R. H, Cardoso, L. R., Martins, D., Marcondes, D. A. S., & Mustafa A. L. (2002). Ocorrência de plantas aquáticas nos reservatórios da Companhia Energética de São Paulo. Planta Daninha (Special Ed.), 20, 99–111.
Toft, J. D., Simenstad, C. A., Cordell, J. R., & Grimaldo, L. F. (2003). The effect of introduced water hyacinth on habitat structure, invertebrate assemblages, and fish diets. Estuaries, 26, 746-758.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
vermiculture, fungiculture, papermakingThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.