A group of students from the Da Nang University of Technology has invented a smart air pollution control system which allows government agencies and people to easily access information to control air pollution. 

Tran Huu Anh, Huynh Ngoc Thuong and Nguyen Phuoc Nguong Thien, students at Da Nang University of Technology, have introduced an automatic air monitoring system that runs with solar energy, called the ‘system to monitor and alert air pollution in industrial zones and urban areas’.

The system works as a machine that measures air quality and issues alerts about air pollution. It includes sensor modules, peripheral blocks, solar panels for charging batteries, main boards and central processing unit.

Once the system is activated, STM chip, the microcontroller, will read sensor value to get indicators about the concentration of PM 2.5 and PM 10 dust, SO2, CO and NO2 .

With the GPRS/GSM feature, the information that sensor modules record will be sent to a web server via real-time GPRS protocol. The information will be displayed on a heatmap with colored lights, from green to red that symbolize low to high levels of air pollution.

If the air pollution is serious, the system will give alerts to users through messages. 

With the design and features, the production cost of one system is about VND9-10 million if the products are manufactured on a large scale. 

An immovable air monitoring station is priced at VND500 million.

The system runs with solar energy, so it is energy saving and environmentally friendly. 

The device was tested on the top of Danabus, the bus which runs on the Da Nang – Phu Da route. It can operate 24/7 and give indexes about air quality of the entire city.

Huynh Ngoc Thuong, one of the three inventors, said they decided to install the monitoring system on the bus top because the bus goes to many places in the city. Located on the top of the bus, the system can easily receive solar energy to operate.

According to student Huynh Huu Anh, the inventors had to build the system three times before obtaining success. One of the most difficult works was buying sensor devices from overseas. 

The high spending on sensors was beyond students’ financial capability. To get money to spend on R&D, the students had to learn how to apply for scholarships from the university.

Vu Van Thanh, a lecturer at Da Nang University of Technology, said the system has many advantages. It is used to measure pollution on a large scale, while local people can easily find information from smart devices at low costs.