HydroMentia’s Water Hyacinth Scrubber (WHS) is a managed floating aquatic plant system that uses water hyacinth’s natural productivity to remove nutrients and other pollutants from wastewater and impaired surface waters.
Water hyacinths have been used for decades in treatment applications, including agricultural wastewaters, livestock operations, and other nutrient-rich waters. In addition to nitrogen and phosphorus, managed water hyacinth systems can support reduction of suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), selected metals, and other constituents depending on source-water quality and operating conditions.
WHS systems typically consist of lined treatment ponds or basins in which floating water hyacinths are cultivated under controlled operating conditions. Nutrients are removed from the water column through direct plant uptake, microbial activity associated with the root zone, settling, filtration, and related biological and physical processes.
Routine harvesting is essential to long-term performance. By removing accumulated plant biomass, the system exports captured nutrients and helps maintain the plants in an active growth phase. This managed harvest-and-regrowth cycle distinguishes WHS from unmanaged water hyacinth growth and allows the system to function as an engineered treatment process rather than simply a vegetated pond.
Although HydroMentia’s current work is focused primarily on Algal Turf Scrubber® technology, Water Hyacinth Scrubber systems remain relevant for selected applications where climate, water quality, land availability, and biomass management conditions are suitable. In appropriate settings, WHS can provide a practical floating-plant treatment option for nutrient reduction, organic matter reduction, and recoverable biomass production.
S-154 two-stage Water Hyacinth Scrubber–Algal Turf Scrubber system reduced phosphorus concentrations from 476 ppb inflow to 79 ppb outflow under comparable test conditions. The paired EMA-SAV wetland reduced phosphorus from 480 ppb inflow to 169 ppb outflow.