Date of Award
5-11-2025
Date Published
June 2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor(s)
Svetoslava Todorova
Keywords
Air Quality;Carbon Dioxide;Low Cost Sensor Units
Subject Categories
Civil and Environmental Engineering | Civil Engineering | Engineering
Abstract
Advancements in sensor technology have made air quality monitoring platforms more user-friendly, compact, and affordable. This provides new opportunities to monitor areas of interest in environments previously not investigated. The existing elevated I-81 Viaduct that runs through downtown Syracuse, NY is being demolished to be reconstructed as a ground level community grid. The goal of the study was to develop a network of low-cost air quality sensor units to monitor concentrations of carbon dioxide along the viaduct prior to its reconstruction. Multiple low-cost carbon dioxide sensors were purchased and tested under laboratory and field conditions to determine applicability for continuous deployment in an urban area. The chosen sensor, the Adafruit SCD-40, was compatible with the Arduino microcontroller, reliable, had a compact design, and was simple to calibrate. The sensor unit was deployed at three different elevations on the Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE) and in five key locations on the ground level along and near the I-81 Viaduct. It was able to operate for extended periods without significant maintenance or observed degradation in performance over time. The main issue was solar panel effectiveness and consistent power supply. The results demonstrated clear diurnal patterns of CO2 concentrations at all locations. Increased plant growth at the green roof of the SyracuseCoE and the onset of summer denoted more pronounced diurnal range at the CoE sensors on the vegetated roof and the street sensors, respectively. The average CO2 concentration on the upper roof of the SyracuseCoE was the lowest among all sensors deployed at the building. The ground level CO2 concentrations along the viaduct were highest at the location nearest to the intersection of the two highways, I-81 and I-690, although a statistically significant correlation was not determined with the average annual daily traffic Overall, this work could serve as a baseline for atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the city of Syracuse prior to the I-81 Viaduct Project and contribute to general understanding of low-cost sensor networks in urban environments.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Coghiel, David, "DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF LOW-COST CARBON DIOXIDE SENSORS IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT" (2025). Theses - ALL. 955.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/955
