Monitoring methane emissions in livestock with an IoT-based early warning system

Abstract

This study aims to develop an IoT-based early warning system to mitigate and monitor the negative effects of methane gas emissions from the agricultural sector on animal health, the environment, and productivity. A portable system was designed to enable wireless communication via a NodeMCU-ESP8266 microcontroller using an MQ-4 methane gas sensor and a DHT11 humidity and temperature sensor. Laboratory and field tests have confirmed that the system reliably detects low-concentration methane levels and can send instant alerts via the Telegram application when the threshold of 400 ppm is exceeded. Given the particular sensitivity of newborn calves to the harmful effects of methane gas, the early warning mechanism provided by this system is of critical importance for protecting animal health and preventing losses. This system offers the potential to increase environmental sustainability, improve animal welfare, and minimize productivity losses in the livestock industry. It is suggested that the system can be expanded to detect different gases in the future and that its performance in long-term field applications should be evaluated more comprehensively.

Keywords

• Methane gas
• IoT
• Early warning system
• Livestock
• Greenhouse gas

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