PoWER

Air Quality Monitoring System(Phase-I) - This was an independent Students project developed entirely by students. This project was successfully mentored by Prof. Siddhartha Panda (Chemical Dept.) This project aims at development of a prototype unit for measuring the level of various gas levels in IIT Kanpur and to record the data for further use.This project is successfully completed and the Phase-II has been started.

Project Report: Download

Origin of the proposal

India being the 4th largest emitter of Greenhouse gases, niggling environment makes its high time to make peoples aware of the situation. Gas Sensing and Monitoring refers to the process of continuously tracking the changes in concentration of different air component.

Definition of the problem

Growing urbanization and no. of Industrial towns make it a requirement to have a close concern of the environment. Hard to keep monitoring continuously certain sites such as industries,busy traffic signals,villages prone to soil erosion & high ammonia concentration etc.

Objectives

1. To develop device able to monitor certain atmospheric components and transfer the datas continuously for the display.
2. To determine status and trends of ambient air quality.>/li>
3. We can share certain details with agencies like Town and Country Planning Department, Kanpur Development Authority etc engaged in pollution control in Kanpur.

Review of status of Research and Development in the subject:

National Status

In Kanpur, monitoring of PM10 is being conducted with the objective to determine status of PM in ambient air of Kanpur and to assess the content of sulphate in PM under the World Bank Assisted Program.The monitoring was started at 6 locations in Kanpur in July 2000 by CPCB and in September 2000 by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) at three locations. Many companies and research laboratories giving latest development in the field of gas monitoring and sensing. eg- Pollution protection systems Mumbai Pvt.Ltd.,India Big Patent etc. Central Pollution Control Board is executing a nation-wide program of ambient air quality monitoring known as National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). The network consist of 342 operating stations covering 127 cities/towns in 26 States and 4 Union Territories of the country.

International Status

1. Safegas is the favored human machine interface for mine gas monitoring systems in Australia and New Zealand because it provides a user friendly, Windows based front end that is compatible with a range of tube bundle and real-time telemetric hardware and is scalable to cater for future system expansion. Features include alarms raised on gas values, explosibility, gas ratios, rates of change and hardware faults. The Safegas system has various security levels, audit trails, automated calibration and is highly user customizable.
2. Monitoring landfill gas migration. Landfill gas monitoring is the process by which gases that are released from by decomposition of biodegradable waste in anaerobic environment are electronically monitored.
3. Dr.R Kumar of University of Cambridge intended to develop a solid state electrolyte using software with fuzy logic and neural network properties such that the system capable of learning gas profiles & overcome problems of cross sensitivity.
4. Uni. of California: Developing mass spectrometer for gas monitoring.
5. World Academy of Science: Development of autonomous gas monitoring system with the help of GSM and Blue tooth services. Infrared sensing technology is being used for monitor of greenhouse gases like CH4 and CO2 at point sources.

Importance of the proposed project in the context of current status:

• India lagging far behind in gas monitoring technologies. Municipalities and Govt. authorities not working as par as expectation, making people aware might pressurized them to work.
• Providing such a device at affordable prices so that factories, municipals, researchers etc can easily have access to certain datas of their interest.
• "The UK Government's chief scientist now says climate change is a far worse danger than international terrorism" (BBC News, 10 Jan 04)
• Environmental phenomena are a major scientific and societal concern:
  • Pollution
  • Water
  • Climate
• Information technology, communications and sensing are enabling technologies
• Due to current technological changes, there will be a watershed phenomenon in
  • Ability to monitor
  • Price point
  • Infrastructure
  • Data processing

Future Prospects:

• Gas sensing and Monitoring device may be available in the market at affordable prices so that factories, municipals, researchers etc can easily have access to certain datas of their interest.
• Can be developed for monitoring of Landfill Gas Monitoring with a very little advancement.
• Can be developed for volcanic prediction using gas chemistry in a safer way by modifying the design and robustness of device.
• Wireless sensor networks can be used to measure and monitor the water levels within all ground wells in the landfill site and monitor leachate accumulation and removal. A wireless device and submersible pressure transmitter monitors the leachate level.
• Using wireless sensor networks within the agricultural industry is increasingly common. Gravity fed water systems can be monitored using pressure transmitters to monitor water tank levels, pumps can be controlled using wireless I/O devices, and water use can be measured and wirelessly transmitted back to a central control center for billing.