Monitoring of biodigesters through a computerized system integrated to IoT platform

Abstract

The purpose of the biodigester is to provide the proper treatment of organic waste that would be inappropriately disposed of in the environment. These residues in their decomposition process are responsible for the release of gases that cause the greenhouse effect, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane gas (CH₄). In this context, the objective of this work was the construction of a computational system that would allow the real-time monitoring of the parameters of physical quantities involved in the digestion process, applied to the study of filters for biogas. For the development of this work, four prototypes of batch digesters were built, adapted with electronic sensor modules to collect, and send data in real time, through the IoT (Internet of Things) platform. Hardware and embedded software platforms based on low-cost microcontrollers using Industry 4.0 concepts were used. The parameters monitored by the sensors were: concentration of methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), temperature, humidity, and gauge pressure in the biogas. It is concluded that the biodigesters monitoring system through the ability to monitor factors in real time allows a better understanding of the anaerobic digestion process, allowing a better analysis and optimization, as well as the performance study of the elements involved in the process such as biomass, filters, and environmental factors.