Water hyacinth is often viewed as an invasive growth. But it can remove pollution such as heavy metals and microplastics, protecting human health, reports The Doomslayer:
Researchers in China have found that the water hyacinth—a prolific South American species that has colonize waterways around the world—is highly effective at absorbing microplastics. Within 48 hours, the hyacinths had removed more than half of the plastic particles in highly contaminated water. Remarkably, the plants were still healthy two weeks after the exposure…
Native to South America, water hyacinth has become invasive in waterways across the globe. It’s known for quickly forming dense mats that clog waterways and harm native species, and municipalities have launched campaigns to eradicate the plant also known as “water cancer” in parts of the Middle East.
But water hyacinth has been shown to clean polluted water, effectively removing agricultural runoff and heavy metals.
Previous studies have shown that water hyacinth can also absorb microplastic, but less well-understood is how they do it and why the plants aren’t harmed in the process. The new study from China sheds light on both questions.
Researchers placed seven water hyacinths in water with 50 milligrams per liter of microplastic particles, an amount similar to heavily polluted waterways. Within 2 days, the plants removed 55-69% of the polystyrene microplastic particles. Within five days, they removed 78% of the pollution.
