Optimization of bioethanol production from water hyacinth at Kigungu Lake Victoria.

Abstract

Water hyacinth has become the world’s worst invasive aquatic weed due to its rapid proliferation rate, ecological adaptability and detrimental effects caused on environment, human health and economic development. A large number of weed management strategies such as physical removal, chemical methods and biological control agents are being used to control it. Currently the water hyacinth is removed from the lake and disposed of to some place. This is just temporary since it grows again where it’s dumped. On the other hand, water hyacinth has demonstrated abilities to be used as a raw material in various useful applications. With increasing prices of fossil fuels, change in climate and global warming; biofuels are now currently being promoted worldwide as substitutes for fossil fuels. Utilizing the weed by producing biofuels out of it, is seen as a way of controlling it on Lake Victoria in Uganda. Bioethanol production has been demonstrated as alternative to fuel, as it is considered to be renewable and clean energy. This study explored the use of water hyacinth for bioenergy production, in form of bioethanol. The bioethanol produced in this study will further provide an alternative to the local wood fuels used in Uganda and the rest of the world. Fresh water hyacinth samples were collected and tested for dry matter content, ash content, organic matter, lignin content, cellulose content, hemicellulose content. Different pre-treatments (acid, Alkali) were used in the production of bioethanol. The study indicated that the calorific value of the bioethanol produced was 26.10 MJ/Kg, 26.10 MJ/Kg and 26.23MJ/Kg. The economic evaluation of the project was conducted with the benefit cost ratios of production of the biofuels being less than one, thus the idea of converting water hyacinth into bioethanol is economically feasible.