Thai researchers produce ethanol from water hyacinth

In Thailand, researchers from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi have developed a method to produce ethanol from water hyacinth and are working to scale it up so it at be produced commercially. Demand for sugarcane, cassava and palm oil for biofuel feedstocks have created shortages, creating the need to find other feedstocks that wouldn’t have supply challenges like water hyacinth where millions of tons are dredged every year from waterways. Ethanol yields are low, however, at just half that of molasses with 25 liters per ton of hyacinth.