Turning a pest into an opportunity

The Ugandan town of Ntoroko is facing multiple crises: its fish stocks are dwindling, while persistent flooding has made many homes uninhabitable. Both problems share a root cause: water hyacinth. Water hyacinth kills fish by draining oxygen from the water, clogs irrigation channels and transportation routes, exacerbates flooding and provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Now, an international research project has found a way to use this problem to help solve another: access to clean and affordable energy.

Video summary

Impact

• Knowledge discovery: found that water hyacinth could be used as a feedstock for anaerobic digesters, which can produce biogas for use in cooking
• Environmental impact: multiple positive environmental outcomes, including removal of invasive species, flood prevention, reduced indoor pollution, and access to clean energy.

Key information

• Major funders: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
• Partners and collaborators: Clean Energy Research Alliance (CERA), Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC), Institute of Chemical Technology, Defiant Renewables, Green Heat
• Disciplines: chemical and process engineering, green energy
• Investigators: Dr Andy Ross.

Keywords: international collaboration, invasive species, green energy, clean energy, energy crisis, food systems, flood prevention, flooding, global collaboration, international collaboration, biology, engineering, chemical and process engineering