Real-time measurements of gaseous and particulate emissions from livestock buildings and manure stores with novel UAV-based system

In the framework of the European environmental policies towards a green transition, the adoption of strategies to improve the sustainability of the agricultural system is a key element. From a perspective of adaptive farm management where a continuous monitoring process is implemented to meet the goal of environmental and economic sustainability of food production, new tools need to be developed to provide cost-effective and real-time measurements. In this context, a novel system based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and prototypical measurement units (MU) equipped with low-cost sensors was designed and developed. The system is based on a flexible architecture, which can be adapted to a variety of operational fields. The MU is provided with a multisensor board to monitor environmental conditions, gaseous pollutants (CO2, CH4, NH3) and particulate matter. A prototype version of the system was tested in a commercial dairy farm to assess its technical feasibility. In-flight and ground-based measurements were performed and cross-referenced with data collected by commercial data loggers and colorimetric tubes. The test showed that a system integrating ground and in-flight measurements of air pollutants is feasible and could be implemented at farm level. Despite the accuracy of measurements could be improved, the test proved that average measurements of carbon dioxide over a 10 min time span can be considered as a reliable indicator of the actual CO2 levels.