User:Amandacz/Wolffia

Uses
Wolffia is known to be used as food for many animals. This can be either from animals eating it directly from the water it is growing in or it being dried and used for animal feed. Its high protein content makes it a good food supplement for animals. Because it is so fast growing, when it has an environment that allows it to thrive, it can become a very abundant source of food. Not only can Wolffia be used for animal food, but it is also used as human food in many Asian countries. Because it has a high protein content and many amino acids that are beneficial in terms of nutrition, Wolffia is considered a suitable potential food source for humans. It was also found to contain significant amounts of potassium and iron, very important minerals for humans, and fiber. Lastly, Wolffia were found to not have any toxic effects associated with human consumption. All together, Wolffia may be a much healthier substitute compared to many Western diets.

Through pyrolysis, Wolffia was found to have a higher bioenergy production compared to land plants. Because of how fast it can grow under the right conditions, it is especially good for producing energy. It is able to extract harmful chemicals such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium from water that was polluted by industrial and municipal buildings. W. arrhiza, specifically, had high contents of sulfur and nitrogen that it was able to extract from polluted waters and resulted in it having a higher protein content. Because of Wolffia's ability to extract these types of minerals that can become toxic to water and become energy producing, it can be beneficial for chemicals used in industries. Similarly, duckweed can be used on wastewater. It has been found to be effective in removing phthalates from water on top of removing minerals. All of these have purification effects on water that is contaminated to different degrees.