Development of Arduino Based Air Quality Monitoring Systems for Measuring Gas Sensor

Abstract

There has been an increase in the number of hazardous gases emitted in the environment due to rapid industrialization. It is becoming very important to monitor the quality of air around so as to take adequate steps in protecting ourselves. This work proposes a mobile air quality monitoring system that is portable enough to be carried around. This system is designed to give real time update on the air quality around. The system contains an air quality sensor, which measures the air quality. The system also contains an LCD screen which displays alerts, warnings and the air quality, in parts per million (ppm), on the screen. A buzzer is also implemented in the system which is triggered when the air quality, is above a certain value. The air quality in different venues in Covenant University were obtained, analysed, and compared with one another. The gases tested in this study include CO2, ammonia, and alcohol. Another experiment was conducted to check the effect that distance has on how the sensor senses the gas. Due to the unavailability of another indoor air quality measuring device for comparison, several data from different locations were taken during the course of this project in order to make comparisons. A significant observation that was made was that increase in temperature is directly proportional to poor air quality. The values of the air quality in H213 in CST ranged from 250 ppm to 275 ppm which shows that the air quality in H213 is good and the environment is conducive. The values of the air quality CST Buttery ranged from 330 ppm to 380 ppm which shows that the air quality in the Buttery is not so good and the environment is not so conducive. When the gas was placed 0 cm to 1.2 cm away from the sensor, the air quality ranged from 1000 ppm to 4500 ppm and when the gas was placed more than 1.2 cm away from the sensor, the air quality ranged from 200 ppm to 500 ppm. This shows that the sensor is more sensitive when the gas is placed close to it.