A low cost data acquisition system based on wireless sensor networks for environmental monitoring in landfills

This paper proposes a data acquisition system based on wireless sensor networks to measure the methane concentration level in a sanitary landfill, and a sensor node prototype for this application. The sensor node was designed to measure temperature, relative humidity and methane concentration. Based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the proposed system allows a continuous monitoring of the methane emissions and reduces the exposition of workers to the hazardous environmental conditions of the landfill. A sensor node prototype was developed and tested as a demonstration of the feasibility of the system.