Arduino Uno as Air Quality Monitoring System

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Air pollution is one of the most adverse issues in the environment. It

causes major effects like cancer, heart diseases and lung diseases etc. Air
pollution which is caused by solid, liquid particles and some gases that are
present in the air. These particles and gases are evolved by industry,
transport, factories (Raju et al., 2018). The researchers observed that air
pollution is a severe problem in our community nowadays. Therefore, the
researchers thought that by using the field of robotics and by utilizing the
Arduino Uno to make a Air Quality Monitoring System to detect an good or
bad quality of air.

Health problems have been growing at a faster rate mostly in the

urban areas of developing countries where industries and numbers of
vehicles lead to the release of a lot of gas pollutants. It has an adverse
impact on the living organisms like humans, animals, food crops etc. It may
result in allergies, harmful diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, lung
diseases and can also cause death. Every year nearly 1.2 million Indians die
due to air borne pollutants. According to the survey, due to air pollution
50,000 to 100,000 premature deaths over a year occur in the U.S whereas
in the EU the number reaches to 300,000 and over 3,000,000 worldwide
(Raju et al., 2018).

In this air quality monitoring system, Arduino Uno, MQ135 gas

sensor, LCD 16x2 display and some other components will be used in this
system. Arduino has high speed and compatibility compared to the others.
MQ135 gas sensor is used to detect the harmful gases which present in the
air and can be measured accurately and it shows the concentration in PPM.
Air Quality Monitoring System monitors the air quality using the Arduino
and the LCD 16x2 display will send the message if the air has either good or
bad quality.

Statement of the Problem

Generally, the study aims to detect a good and bad quality of air by
using the Arduino Uno as Air Quality Monitoring System.

Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions:

1.) How can Arduino Uno as Air Quality Monitoring System detect the
good and bad quality of air?
2.) What is the importance of using the Arduino Uno as Air Quality
Monitoring System?

Hypothesis

Ha: The Arduino Uno Air Quality Monitoring System will be able to
detect the good and bad quality air.

Ho: The Arduino Uno Air Quality Monitoring System will not be able to
detect the good and bad quality air.

Significant of the Study

The results of the study may be significant to Advance Technology,

Protecting Public Health, Healthy Environment, and Future Researchers. It
may provide them with significant details on the use of the Arduino Uno as
Air Quality Monitoring System in detecting the good and bad quality of air.

This study maybe significant to the following:

Advance Technology, the study may contribute to the field of

technology to help in developing the Air Quality Monitor in detecting the
good and bad quality of air.

Protecting Public Health, the results of the study may benefit to the
community in protecting public’s health.

Healthy Environment, the results of the study may help the

environment to achieve a healthy living place.

Future Researchers, the study may serve as their guide in their

research study.

Scope and Delimitation

The study is focused on Arduino Uno as Air Quality Monitoring

System in detecting the good and bad quality of air. This study aims to
monitor the good and bad quality of air in one particular area.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined operationally and conceptually:

Arduino Uno, is an open-source platform used for building electronics

projects. Arduino consists of both a physical programmable circuit board
(often referred to as a microcontroller) and a piece of software, or IDE
(Integrated Development Environment) that runs on your computer
(https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/what-is-an-arduino/all). It refers to
the board that controls all the components that will be used in Air Quality
Monitoring System.

MQ135 Gas Sensor, MQ135 gas sensor has high sensitivity to

ammonia gas, sulfide, benzene series steam, also can monitor smoke and
other toxic gases well. It can detect kinds of toxic gases and is a kind of low-
cost sensor for kinds of applications (Winsen 2023). It refers to the sensor
that will detect the good and bad quality of air.

LCD 16X2 Display, An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen is an

electronic display module and has a wide range of applications. A 16x2 LCD
display is very basic module and is very commonly used in various devices
and circuits. A 16x2 LCD means it can display 16 characters per line and
there are 2 such lines (https://www.thingbits.in/products/standard-lcd-
16x2-display). It refers to the display that will send the message if the air
quality is good or bad.

Jumper Wires Cable, Jumper wires are simply wire that have
connector pins at each end, allowing them to be used to connect two points
to each other without soldering (Hemmings, 2018). It refers to the wires that
will be use to connect all the components to the Arduino Uno.

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Air Quality Monitoring

Arduino Uno
System
Figure 1.

The figure 1 shows the relationship between the Independent and

Dependent Variable. The Arduino Uno is represented as the Independent
Variable on which the Air Quality Monitoring System depends on it. On the
other hand, the Air Quality Monitoring System represented as the
Dependent variable which is regarded as the cause of the study.

Review of Related Literature

This section presents an analysis of related literature which give

direction to the conduct of the present research. This chapter includes the
international and national review of related literature.

International Review of Related Literature

These days, it's critical for individuals to be conscious of the state of

the air around them, particularly if they reside close to industries, highways,
or other locations where smoke or contaminated air are produced. It should
be apparent to them whether the air they breathe is pure or contaminated.
This is due to the fact that air pollution came in at number four on the
global death risk list. According to UBC researchers in 2013, air pollution-
related illnesses claimed the lives of around 3 million individuals throughout
Asia (Gunawan et al., 2017).

As stated in, which has evaluated air pollution using PM2.5 and PM10
sensors in 190 Chinese cities, air pollution can have serious health
repercussions, including respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular ailments.
Additionally, air pollution negatively impacts the environment, which
ultimately leads to climate change and global warming (Gunawan et al.,
2017).

Air pollution can impact the health of people, animals, and plants, the
quality of the air has a significant impact on the population in a given area.
Not all living things are healthy when exposed to poor air quality. It is
important to understand the state of the air quality in a certain location in
order to prevent anything that could exacerbate existing health issues. The
value of using an air quality monitoring system to identify excellent and poor
air quality is substantial. As a result, it's essential to regularly check the
local air quality (Nasution et al., 2019).

When one or more chemical, physical, or biological contaminants are

present in the atmosphere in hazardous amounts, it is referred to as air
pollution. It damages property, interferes with comfort and aesthetics, and is
unhealthy for people, animals, and plants. In addition to soil, water, and
sound pollution, air pollution is another kind of environmental pollution
(Listyarini et al., 2021).

Infant mortality, pregnancy complications, chronic respiratory

diseases, allergy diseases, asthma and rhinitis, neuroinflammation and
neurodegeneration, impact on the central nervous system in children,
tuberculosis, oxidative DNA damage, cardiovascular disease, bronchiolitis
obliterans syndrome, and mortality following lung transplantation are some
of the effects of air pollution (Listyarini et al., 2021).

The majority of health issues have been escalating more quickly in

emerging countries' cities, where a high concentration of automobiles and
businesses contribute to the emission of several gas pollutants. It negatively
affects all living things, including people, animals, food crops, etc. Allergies,
dangerous illnesses such lung and cardiovascular conditions, and even
death are possible outcomes. Airborne pollution claim approximately 1.2
million Indian lives annually. As per Raju et al. (2018), the survey indicates
that air pollution causes 50,000 to 100,000 premature deaths annually in
the United States, whereas the amount in the European Union is closer to
300,000 and over 3,000,000 globally.

One of the worst things that may happen to the ecosystem is air
pollution. Major side effects include lung, heart, and cancer illnesses, among
others. Particles in the air that are solid, liquid, or contain certain gasses
can produce pollution. Industry, transportation, and factories are the
sources of these particles and gases (Raju et al., 2018).

The introduction of additional undesirable biological molecules,

particles, or other hazardous materials into the earth's atmosphere is known
as air pollution. It is a significant contributor to infections, allergies, and in
rare cases, the cause of death. It also damages the built environment, the
ecology, and other living things, such as animals and food crops. When
people are exposed to these poisons or chemicals for extended periods of
time without protection, they can also lead to different types of cancer and
respiratory diseases (such as asthma) (Hossain et al., 2019).

One of the most important components of man's environment is air.

The atmosphere of the world is filled of air that is mostly composed of
carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and oxygen, with small amounts of other gases
uncommon components. An atmosphere free of pollutants is necessary for
human survival. This is vitally important for human existence and well-
being. Any alteration to the air's natural composition has the potential to
seriously affect all life forms on Earth (Okokpugie, 2018).

The existence of one or more pollutants causes air pollution. gasses in

the atmosphere that are dangerous to people, animals, and plants. The
units used to measure air pollutants are ug/m3 or parts per million (ppm).
Direct releases of primary pollutants into the atmosphere occur. When the
primary pollutant interacts with other substances in the atmosphere,
secondary pollutants are created. Public health is impacted by air quality
(Okokpugie, 2018).

Air pollution can cause a variety of symptoms, including coughing,

breathing difficulties, and exacerbation of asthma and emphysema. Visibility
might also be hampered by air pollution. Seven million people worldwide die
from air pollution each year, which accounts for one in eight premature
deaths (Okokpugie, 2018).

National Review of Related Literature

The absence of well equipped equipment required for monitoring air

quality, particularly in urbanizing communities become reliant on official
reporting (Department of Environment and Natural Resources, for example).
Resources (DENR). These reports frequently don't cover every region where
air quality is being monitored. Because of this, researchers have been
motivated in recent years to create new, usually faster and less expensive
systems for detecting air quality (Heyasa and Galarpe, 2017).

A number of studies have examined the use of microcontroller-gas

sensor devices, including indoor air quality monitoring (Yu and Lin, 2015;
Kim et al., 2015; Preethichandra, 2013) and others with wireless
applications (Putra et al., 2013; Oathmanet al., 2013). Microcontrollers are
convenient because they can be used for both indoor and outdoor air quality
sensing (Heyasa and Galarpe, 2017).

Despite the fact that certain studies (Cortez et al., 2015; Nograleset
al., 2014; While this method is used domestically in the Philippines (Heredia
et al., 2015; Mercado, 2013; Seseet al., 2016; Balmeset al., 2015), not many
people are aware of its use for quick air quality monitoring in academic
settings (Heyasa and Galarpe, 2017)

Recent studies have concentrated on creating an inexpensive wireless

air quality monitoring device. Arduino microcontrollers for sensor networks
(WSN) have been attracting interest. The reason for this is that air pollution
is accountable for an estimated 5.5 million fatalities in 2013, resulting in
lost labor income to the global economy of about US$225 billion. One in four
fatalities in the Philippines alone are related to the air contamination .
Furthermore, pollutants include carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter
(PM), and other gaseous and particle-bound hazardous chemicals are
produced by the inefficient burning of transportation fuels, the production of
electricity, and other human activities (Bautista et al., 2019).

An area's air quality can be assessed using a scale called the air
quality index (AQI). It emphasizes the well-being of consequences that could
appear a few hours or days after breathing in the contaminated air.
Additionally, The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of tiny, widely-used,
low-cost, low-power electronic devices that can sense and exchange data
without the need for direct human intervention (Bautista et al., 2019).
 CHAPTER II

METHODOLOGY

This chapter deals with the methods of research that will be used
throughout the study. It includes the research design, sampling, procedure,
and materials.

Research Design

This study will be utilizing the Experimental Design where this study
will conduct an experiment about the Arduino Uno as Air Quality Index
Monitoring System. Testing or attempting to prove a hypothesis through
experimentation is known as Experimental design. This study was concern
about the Arduino Uno as Air Quality Monitoring System in detecting the
good and bad quality of air.

Locale of the Study

The study will be conducted at Silway-8 National High School. The

school is a public high school, specifically located at Purok Masigla in the
Municipality of Polomolok, Province of South Cotabato, Region XII. The
school was founded on January 01, 1986.

Materials

This study will be utilizing the following materials:

Arduino Uno (Motherboard), MQ135 Gas Sensor, LCD Display 16x2,

and Jumper Wires Cables. The following materials that were mentioned will
be obtain from the Makerlab.
Sampling

The study will use Non-probability Sampling on which the study will
utilize the Purposive sampling to select respondents to observe and rate the
Arduino Uno as Air Quality Monitoring System.

Procedure

Gather all the materials needed. Prepare all the materials. Get the
Arduino Uno, MQ135 Gas Sensor, and Jumper Wires Cables. Connect the
Jumper Wires Cables to the MQ135 Gas Sensor. Plug the Jumper Wires
Cables to the MQ135 Gas Sensor Pin in VCC, GND, Digital Out (DO), and
Analog Out (AO). Right after you plug in the wires, connect the
corresponding Jumper Wires Cables of the MQ135 Gas Sensor to the
Arduino Uno. Plug it in the Arduino Uno Pin 5V, GND, Analog Out (AO), and
Pin 2. Get the LCD Display 16x2 and Jumper Wires Cables. Plug the
Jumper Wires Cables to the LCD Display GND pin, LCD VCC pin, LCD SDA
pin, and LCD SCL pin. Right after you plug in the wires, connect the
corresponding Jumper Wires Cables to the Arduino Uno GND pin, 5V pin,
A4 pin, and A5 pin. Bring all the connected components to your desktop and
then start programming. Right after you program, then the Air Quality
Monitoring System is ready to test within an area.

The wiring circuit and code of the Arduino Uno as Air Quality
Monitoring System is represented in the figure below.
Source: IOT Craftsman

#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>
#include <Wire.h>

int sensorValue;

LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27,16,2);

void setup() {
// put your setup code here, to run once:
pinMode(A0,INPUT);
lcd.init();
lcd.backlight();
Serial.begin(9600); // sets the serial port to 9600
lcd.begin(16, 2);
lcd.print("Air Quality");
lcd.setCursor(1, 0);
lcd.print(" System");
pinMode(A0, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
sensorValue = analogRead(A0); // read analog input pin 0
lcd.clear();
lcd.setCursor(0,0);
lcd.print("AQI: ");
// lcd.setCursor(0,8);
lcd.print(sensorValue);
 Serial.print(sensorValue);
if (sensorValue <= 180)
{
lcd.setCursor(1,1);
lcd.print("Good ");
}
else if (sensorValue >= 181 && sensorValue < 350){
lcd.setCursor(1,1);
lcd.print("Poor ");
}
else {
lcd.setCursor(1,1);
lcd.print("Bad");
}
delay(3000);
}

Source: IOT Craftsman

Budget Estimated

Materials Where to Obtain Cost

Arduino Uno Makerlab ₱ 550

MQ135 Gas Sensor Makerlab ₱ 109

LCD Display 16x2 Makerlab ₱ 275

LCD Breakout Board Makerlab ₱ 50

Jumper Wires Cable Makerlab ₱ 30

Total: ₱1014