Assessment the use of Water Hyacinth in the Production of Biogas and Fertilizer, Egypt

In Egypt, water hyacinth (WH) invades the Nile River and most of irrigation and drainage networks, causing tremendous problem related to quality and quantity of water. This research investigated the anaerobic digestion (AD) of four fermentable mixtures composed of WH, cattle manure, and water at ratios of 1:10:60 (mix.1), 1:4:25 (mix.2), 1:2:18 (mix.3), and 1:0.3:1.3 (mix.4) respectively. The results revealed that the maximum amount of gas production was attributed to mix.3 (975 L) within retention time of 75days. The rate of biogas production is higher upon dry WH (195 L/kg VS) as compared to fresh WH (39 L/kg). The chemical analysis of the produced sludge indicated that all elements contain the basic nutrients of the plants and all the elements within the permissible limits of the law of soil improvement. II. Keywords: Aquatic weeds, Biogas, water hyacinth