Article

A comprehensive policy framework for unlocking the potential of water hyacinth in Ethiopia’s circular bioeconomy

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Abstract

The invasive water hyacinth (WH), Eichhornia crassipes, poses a severe environmental and economic threat to Ethiopian water bodies, particularly in the Rift Valley water bodies and Lake Tana. Known for its rapid proliferation, WH outcompetes native vegetation, doubling its coverage every 13 days, and has the potential to produce 140–350 tons of dry weight per hectare/annum. Lake Tana’s northern shore alone bears the brunt of this issue, with an estimated 50,000 hectares of affected areas in Lake Tana alone covering approximately 130 km of lakeshore length as of 2015, apart from other lakes. In response to this pressing concern, the present study is dedicated to formulating a comprehensive circular bioeconomy policy framework focusing on effectively utilizing WH biomass. This innovative framework aims to convert WH biomass into valuable biofuels and other products, acknowledging its potential for environmental mitigation. It integrates diverse policy instruments—informational, economic, cooperative, and regulatory—to encourage sustainable WH biomass production and processing. With a focus on fostering economic advantages for local communities, the framework tackles challenges and outlines implementation strategies, highlighting the importance of international collaboration and robust monitoring systems. Success depends on alignment with existing policies related to environmental protection, energy production, and economic development. The framework unlocks economic, social, and ecological benefits and emphasizes stakeholder collaboration, community participation, and international cooperation. It offers a proactive approach to managing the invasive WH threat sustainably, transforming adversity into sustainable growth. Furthermore, it serves as a model for other countries facing similar challenges, contributing to the global shift towards a circular bioeconomy.

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The Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law is a landmark reference work, providing definitive and comprehensive coverage of this dynamic field. The Encyclopedia is organised into 12 volumes around top-level subjects – such as water, energy and climate change – that reflect some of the most pressing issues facing us today. Each volume probes the key elements of law, the essential concepts, and the latest research through concise, structured entries written by international experts. Each entry includes an extensive bibliography as a starting point for further reading. The mix of authoritative commentary and insightful discussion will make this an essential tool for research and teaching, as well as a valuable resource for professionals and policymakers.
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The concept of biorefinery can pave way for shifting to the circular economy by developing unified and multipurpose processes that convert biomass or waste into value-added products. One such waste is water hyacinth, which has the profound effect on the aquatic life as well as poses a challenge across the world for its control. It is the proliferative aquatic weed adversely affecting the environment. However, it has been found that the plant can become a useful source of various chemicals and fuel if used judiciously. Some important groups of phytochemicals like organic acids, sterols, phenolic components, etc. are present in roots, stems, leaves, petioles and flowers of this plant and are known for antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer activities. All these extractives have potential applications in food, pharmaceutical and promoting functional foods. Apart from phytochemicals, water hyacinth is extensively utilized in making fuel, sorbent, biopolymer, carbon fibre, composites, vermicompost and supercapacitor. The concept of biorefinery can be implemented in the effective utilization of water hyacinth due to its potential use in various fields. This review article focuses on various aspects of utilization of water hyacinth, thereby projecting it as a potential biorefinery candidate.
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