Date:08/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/08/stories/2008040850210200.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Technology to combat weed menace

Special Correspondent

Water hyacinth to be used to produce biogas

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is considered a green menace, clogging most of the canals, ponds and lakes in the city. Despite periodic efforts to remove them, the resilient waterweeds are back, spreading themselves into a green carpet that spells doom for aquatic life and affects tourism, backwater transport and fisheries.

The Biotech Centre for development of biogas technology and other non-conventional energy sources, a city- based NGO that won last year’s international Green Oscar award, claims to have developed a technology that could provide a permanent solution to the problem.

The process uses water hyacinth as a raw material to generate biogas.

The company claims that the processing plant would not only help to check the waterweed menace but also generate electricity from biogas that could be used to power streetlights and other equipment in tourism centres.

Says Biotech director A. Sajidas: “Another advantage of the plant is that it can handle the organic waste generated by hotels and restaurants. Even if the supply of water hyacinth dries up after a period, the plant can run on organic waste.”