Integration of Gas and Ultrasonic Sensors for Monitoring Air Quality and Smart Waste Bin levels determination: An IOT illustration in Solid waste management
1Chika Lilian Onyagu, 2Akawuku I. Godspower, 3Joshua John and 4Chika Okonkwo
1, 2,4Department of Computer Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.
3Institute of Computing and ICT, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
Solid waste management in Nigeria faces significant challenges, primarily due to the lack of proper coordination in waste disposal activities and inadequate government supervision, which has largely been delegated to contractors. The current management system is also not automated, leading to improper waste disposal methods such as open dumping and burning in public areas like roads and markets. This study aims to address these issues by developing an improved solid waste management system in Nigeria utilizing smart IoT technologies. In this research, IoT sensors were deployed to monitor waste bin levels and air quality at various dumpsites. These sensors, including an Ultrasonic Sensor for waste bin level measurement and an MQ135 sensor for air quality assessment, transmit real-time data to a web-based system for analysis. The system facilitates the timely evacuation of waste by alerting the waste management agency when bins are full or when air quality deteriorates. Prototyping and Modelling was used for the hardware design with Embedded C++ language used for the sensor control algorithms. Key components of the system include the ESP32 microprocessor, LCD display, and SIM900 module for connectivity and data transmission. The system was tested in various environments, revealing that high levels of air pollutants could persist even when waste bins were not yet full, posing health risks to nearby residents. The monitoring system also ensures transparency in the waste evacuation process by keeping record of number of times waste bins are evacuated with date and time. This, enables performance tracking of disposal truck drivers. The air quality data from the sampled dumpsites was analyzed and compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards using a six-membership performance index (MID). The system achieved an 83.33% compliance rate, capturing five out of the six MID. The integration of hybrid technologies—IoT sensors and a web-based management system—demonstrates significant improvements over the existing waste management systems in Nigeria.
Keywords: Gas Sensors, Ultrasonic Sensors, Air Quality, Smart Waste Bin, Internet of Things (IoT).
CITE AS: Chika Lilian Onyagu, Akawuku I. Godspower, Joshua John and Chika Okonkwo (2024). Integration of Gas and Ultrasonic Sensors for Monitoring Air Quality and Smart Waste Bin levels determination: An IOT illustration in Solid waste management. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES, 4(2):19-28. https://doi.org/10.59298/NIJEP/2024/421928.2.1