Abstract
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a hydrophyte weed that causes havoc in the aquatic ecosystem as an invasive plant that can obstruct waterways and bring about nutrient imbalance. This study aims to address how this invasive hydrophyte can be physically harvested and biochemically transformed into a bioproduct that can enhance the restoration of damaged soil. Biocomposting, a low-cost biotechnological technique, was designed to degrade the lignocellulosic Eichhornia crassipes biomass and transform it into a valuable bioproduct. The process used response surface methodology (RSM) to investigate the aggregate effect of moisture content, turning frequency, and microbial isolate (Chitinophaga terrae) inoculum size on the breakdown of lignin over 21 days. The moisture content (A), (45, 55, 65) % v/w, inoculum size (B), (5, 7.5, 10)% v/v, and turning frequency (C), (1, 3, 5) days were considered independent variables, while percentage lignin degradation was considered a response variable. The optimal conditions for lignin breakdown were 65.7 percent (v/w) moisture, 7.5 percent (v/v) inoculum concentration, and 5-day interval turning. The R(2) score of 0.9733 demonstrates the model's integrity and reliability. Thus, the RSM approach resulted in a fine grain dark brown Nutri-compost that proved effective in enhancing soil fertility. This procedure is recommended for a scale-up process where large quantities of the hydrophyte could be treated for conversion into Nutri compost.