https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/yaqoob-ghassan/index.html About me Second-year Biology student, University Ambassador, and researcher based in Baghdad, studying at the American University of Iraq – Baghdad (AUIB), with an interest in genetics, synthetic biology, and scientific collaboration. I currently serve as a Laboratory Assistant across two campus laboratories and as a Teaching Assistant, with hands-on experience supporting university lab workflows.Hugoenhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/yaqoob-ghassan/week-01-hw-project-ideas/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/yaqoob-ghassan/week-01-hw-project-ideas/index.htmlHomework 1: Biomanufacturing Water Hyacinth into Bioethanol for Iraq’s Energy Grid 1. What I want to biomanufacture and why I propose to biomanufacture bioethanol from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes, locally called “Nile flower”) harvested from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The target product is fuel-grade ethanol that can supplement diesel used in household backup generators, which many Iraqi families rely on because grid electricity is unreliable. Water hyacinth is an invasive plant introduced to Iraq roughly two decades ago as a decorative species. It has since spread aggressively across the Tigris and Euphrates, absorbing up to five liters of water per plant per day and forming mats so dense that a 100-square-meter patch can weigh up to five tonnes. It blocks sunlight and oxygen for aquatic life, has cut fish catches for Tigris and Euphrates fishermen by as much as half in some areas, and clogs irrigation channels that farmers depend on. It also creates stagnant water pockets that become mosquito breeding grounds, compounding a public health concern. Separately, Iraq faces a chronic energy crisis. Peak electricity demand has reached roughly 48 gigawatts while domestic generation capacity is closer to 27 gigawatts, and the gap is filled by diesel generators that are expensive, polluting, and a major cost burden for households. This project connects two real domestic problems: an invasive species destroying river ecosystems and livelihoods, and a fuel and electricity shortage that already relies on liquid fuel combustion at the household level. Converting the invasive biomass into usable ethanol removes it from the waterway while producing something households and small operators can actually use. This idea is not new in concept. Communities in Kenya, Nigeria, India, and Niger have run pilot programs converting harvested water hyacinth into bioethanol, biogas, and other products. What has not been done, as far as I could find, is applying this specifically to the Tigris and Euphrates hyacinth crisis in Iraq. I see this project as adapting a proven approach to a problem that, in this specific location, has so far only been addressed with mechanical removal.https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/yaqoob-ghassan/final-project/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/yaqoob-ghassan/final-project/index.html