Real-Time Landfill Methane & Environmental Monitoring

This project is a real-time environmental monitoring system designed for landfill sites. It utilizes an ESP32 microcontroller and Python to create a practical IoT-based solution for pollution control and early intervention.

Abstract

This project focuses on real-time environmental monitoring in landfill sites using the ESP32 microcontroller and Python programming. The system is designed to measure methane concentration using the MQ-4 sensor, carbon dioxide and other harmful gases with the MQ-135 sensor, and ambient conditions like temperature and humidity using the DHT11 sensor. All collected data is transmitted via Wi-Fi to the ThingSpeak cloud platform. A Python application then accesses this data for real-time analysis and triggers automated email alerts using SMTP. The project effectively demonstrates the integration of embedded systems and Python to build impactful IoT solutions for environmental monitoring.

Authors

• Mahaveer Katighar
• Arnesh Chauhan
• Akshay Anthannagari

System Architecture and Workflow

The system operates by collecting sensor data, displaying it locally, sending it to the cloud, and then using a Python script for remote monitoring and alerting.

Project Demo

Click the links below to view the prototype videos:

• Prototype Video 1
• Prototype Video 2
• Prototype Video 3
• Prototype Video 4

Hardware & Software

Hardware Components

• ESP-32 Microcontroller
• MQ-4 Methane Gas Sensor
• MQ-135 CO₂ Sensor
• DHT11 Temperature & Humidity Sensor
• OLED 0.96 Inch Display
• Buzzer

Software, Platforms, and Libraries

• IoT Platform: ThingSpeak
• ESP32 Code: Arduino C++
• Monitoring Script: Python
• Python Libraries: requests, time, matplotlib.pyplot, pytz, smtplib
• Communication: HTTP, SMTP Protocol

Setup and Installation

1. ESP32 Setup

1. Open the .ino file in the Arduino IDE.
2. Ensure you have the necessary libraries installed (WiFi, HTTPClient, DHT, Adafruit_SSD1306).
3. Modify the code with your specific credentials:

   const char* ssid = "YourSSID"; // Your WiFi network name
   const char* password  "YourPassword"; // Your WiFi password
   const char* server "[http://api.thingspeak.com/update?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY](http://api.thingspeak.com/update?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY)"; // Your ThingSpeak Write API Key

4. Connect the ESP32, select the correct board and port, and upload the sketch.

2. Python Script Setup

1. Install the required Python packages:

   pip install requests matplotlib pytz

2. Open the Python script and update the following variables with your details:

   # ThingSpeak details
   CHANNEL_ID = "Your_Channel_ID" 
   READ_API_KEY= "Your_Read_API_Key"
   
   # Email setup
   SENDER_EMAIL = "your_sender_email@gmail.com"
   RECEIVER_EMAIL = "your_receiver_email@gmail.com"
   EMAIL_PASSWORD = "your_app_password" 

3. Run the script from your terminal to begin monitoring:

   python your_script_name.py

Project Features

• Real-time display of Methane, CO₂, Temperature, and Humidity on an OLED screen.
• Live data logging and visualization on a ThingSpeak channel.
• An automatic buzzer sounds an alarm when methane levels cross the threshold.
• The Python script provides console output and sends email alerts for hazardous gas detection.

Conclusion

This project successfully integrates an ESP32 with Python programming to monitor landfill gases and environmental conditions in real time. It serves as a cost-effective, scalable, and educational model for IoT-based environmental monitoring. Furthermore, it demonstrates the practical application of Python for handling HTTP requests, data parsing, and email automation.