Recent Trends in IOT-Enabled Composter for Organic Wastes

Composting offers sustainable management of organic wastes by converting them into nutrient-rich bio-manure and thereby reduces other environmental impacts. Conventional methods of monitoring and process control involve multiple hurdles to effectively utilize the available resources in producing good quality compost. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce smart technologies in composting to make it convenient for small-scale units in the urban areas and for large-scale operations in the peripheral localities. Present study investigates the scope of digitalization in bringing user-friendly solutions such as an Internet of things (IoT)-based composter by reviewing the recent trends in digital-based design and implementation aspects. Various available hardware and software components were identified and the critical issues in selecting the data transmission protocols were reviewed. The main aspects of hardware components rely on the accuracy and efficiency in the acquisition, conversion and storage of data which are to be embedded with suitable microprocessor units. The selection of software mainly depends on the available gateways, data transfer protocols and mass storage facilities. As far as the gathered data are concerned, the quality (accuracy, reliability, free from noises), safety (free from hacks, low power loss) and availability for post-processing (data analytics and data mining) proclaim huge scope in reframing the design-thinking approach. Further, it is noted that human perceptions and expectations tend to make a compromise in the design approach which need to be addressed through informed interactions. It is envisaged that a low cost, smart and rapid composter can be emerged as a sustainable solution.