Applications of Solar Panels Low-Cost Sensors in Quarry Aerosol Tracking, and Air Quality Monitoring: Challenges and Opportunities

Solar-powered low-cost sensors revolutionize aerosol tracking and air quality monitoring in quarries, where dust from blasting, crushing, and hauling creates health and environmental hazards. These autonomous systems integrate compact sensors for particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) and gases with photovoltaic panels and batteries, enabling grid-independent operation in remote, harsh sites lacking power infrastructure.

The study is aimed at addresses critical needs in environmental monitoring for high-pollution industrial sites like quarries. Quarries generate significant aerosol dust and pollutants from blasting, crushing, and hauling, posing health risks to workers and nearby communities, which traditional monitoring often misses due to sparse, expensive stations.

Challenges in emissions monitoring for quarrying include sensor drift from dust and humidity needing periodic calibration, power fluctuations causing data gaps in low sunlight, and high costs for ruggedized units with remote maintenance, while opportunities revealed that solar panels combined with low-cost sensors offer significant prospects for quarry aerosol tracking and air quality monitoring by enabling reliable, off-grid deployment in harsh environments. These systems address power limitations, data gaps, and compliance needs in dusty, remote quarry operations. They support proactive pollution management and regulatory adherence.

This study is necessary because Low-cost solar-powered sensors for quarry aerosol tracking and air quality monitoring offer significant advantages through affordability, scalability, and sustainability. It also spans health/safety gains by reducing worker exposure, regulatory compliance, environmental protection toward zero-emissions, and economic savings via scalability.