Correlation Analysis Model of Environment Parameters Using IoT Framework in a Biogas Energy Generation Context

Abstract

Recently, the significance and demand for biogas energy has dramatically increased. However, biogas operators lack automated and intelligent mechanisms to produce optimization. The Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning (ML) have become key enablers for the real-time monitoring of biogas production environments. This paper aimed to implement an IoT framework to gather environmental parameters for biogas generation. In addition, data analysis was performed to assess the effect of environmental parameters on biogas production. The edge-based computing architecture was designed comprising sensors, microcontrollers, actuators, and data acquired for the cloud Mongo database via MQTT protocol. Data were captured at a home digester on a time-series basis for 30 days. Further, Pearson distribution and multiple linear regression models were explored to evaluate environmental parameter effects on biogas production. The constructed regression model was evaluated using R2 metrics, and this was found to be 73.4% of the variability. From a correlation perspective, the experimental result shows a strong correlation of biogas production with an indoor temperature of 0.78 and a pH of 0.6. On the other hand, outdoor temperature presented a moderated correlation of 0.4. This implies that the model had a relatively good fit and could effectively predict the biogas production process.