This research evaluates antimicrobial activity of water hyacinth extract on pathogenic bacteria in sewage water, indicating potential for wastewater treatment.
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an invasive aquatic weed that obstructs navigation, irrigation, and water transport due to its rapid growth and regeneration. This study investigated the antimicrobial efficacy of water hyacinth plants (E. crassipes) extract (flowers, leaves, and roots) on sewage water isolates. Antibacterial activity evaluated through zone of inhibition measurements, and biochemical tests were conducted to identify pathogenic organisms in surrounding sewage water. A total of 25 samples were collected from different location in Savar region and analyzed. Pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from sewage water. Notably, the highest prevalence of E. coli and P. aeruginosa (100%), Klebsiella spp. 96% and S. aureus 92% were consistently present across sewage water samples. Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed high resistance to multiple antibiotics, including Ampicillin, Azithromycin, Cefalexin, Cefoxitin, Methicillin and Tetracycline. However, methanol extracts of E. crassipes demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against E. coli and Pseudomonas spp. (p<0.001) on 200% concentration of flower extracts whereas Klebsiella spp. showed highly significant zone 15.33±0.58 mm on 200% concentration which compared to positive control Amikacin 16mm. These findings suggest that E. crassipes possesses bioactive compounds with potential as natural antimicrobial that applied as waste water treatment.
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A 2025 study studied this question.