1. We claim an integrated IoT system for water quality monitoring is conceived and customized for its demonstration and preliminary validation in wastewater treatment.

2. As mentioned in 1 we claim that the device or system may contain any type of electrical or electronic circuits and any type of processor or controller.

3. As mentioned in 1 we claim that any communication medium or system in the station used for the device or system.

4. As mentioned in 1 we claim that any intelligence and computer algorithms used for the above-mentioned process.

5. As mentioned in 1 we claim that any type of power source used for our system or device in the station.

6. As mentioned in 1 we claim that the system or device can have any type of architecture and physical designs.

7. As mentioned in 1 we claim that any type of sensors for obtaining the parameters. , Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION Water is a scarce and precious resource that is being put under pressure due to the fast-growing population that is extracting too much water and polluting our rivers, lakes, and groundwater with municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastes. Climate change, loss of biodiversity, unsustainable use of natural resources, and environmental pressures have a negative impact on water quality and quantity which are inextricably linked, with over extraction causing low river flows, low ground water levels, and drying up of wetlands. The deteriorating water environment, accelerating the shortage of water and affecting human health, has become an important problem that restricts the development of cities. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION One of the most important environmental problems today is, undoubtedly, the contamination of water by nitrates, especially in areas with significant agricultural activity. The nitrates are natural components of soil and water, both surface and underground, which come, in part, from the decomposition of nitrogenous organic matter, although their presence in the soil and in aquifers increases with the use of nitrogenous fertilizers and manure in areas with a high level of agricultural activity. Farmers invest large amounts of nitrogenous fertilizers in the fields to maintain adequate production and increase yields. Most of these are not absorbed by plants, so they settle in the soil and gradually filter through it, reaching groundwater. Similarly, these compounds can circulate through surface runoff and cause contamination problems in surface, fresh, or marine waters. An excessive contribution of nutrients in surface waters, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, gives rise to a rapid proliferation of aquatic vegetation, as a consequence of oxygen depletion on the surface, which favors the appearance of eutrophication processes. One of the most effective approaches to address this challenge of sustainability is wastewater treatment, in which water quality monitoring (WQM) plays a key role. WQM can be described as a method for periodically sampling and analyzing water conditions and characteristics. This method forms the basis for water environmental management, as it is vital to monitor source waters and the aquatic systems that receive inputs from industrial waste and sewage treatment plants, stormwater systems, and runoff from urban and agricultural lands. Similarly, domestic sewage and water flows resulting from chemical processes and waste in industry and sanitation should be monitored in wastewater treatment plants that purify the water to decontaminate it before releasing it into the sea (or other large bodies of water), or be used for other applications such as irrigation, and to detect possible toxic or radioactive discharges. Wastewater, also known as sewage, contains more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents, and the bacteriological organisms that it contains. The quality of treated wastewater is defined by physical-chemical parameters such as pH, temperature, conductivity, turbidity, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. From an environmental perspective, the concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and nitrite in water are crucial due to their role in eutrophication. They are important analytes for environmental, food and human health monitoring and thus their detection and quantification is essential. Wastewater treatment is an important component in the water cycle, as it ensures that the environmental impact of human usage of water is significantly reduced. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) use a series of treatment stages to clean up the contaminated water so that the treated effluent is safely discharged to inland water, estuaries and the sea. Wastewater treatment consists of several processes (physical, biological, and chemical) that aim to reduce nitrogen, phosphorous, organic matter, and suspended solids content. The purpose of WQM is to support the control of these processes by accurately monitoring water parameters (e.g., nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and pH) mainly in the influent and effluent of each WWTP. Specifically, WQM performs (i) the detection and quantification of these parameters in the influent wastewater that could affect the treatment processes, providing the plant operator with valuable information to foresee such effects, and (ii) the analytical control of the effluent to verify that the treated waters comply with the standards required by the current regulations, ensuring the environmental sustainability of water. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention presents the integration to a WSN and a preliminary validation in a wastewater treatment plant scenario of a low-cost water quality monitoring device in the close-to-market stage. This system consists of a nitrate and nitrite analyzer based on a novel ion chromatography detection method. The analytical device is integrated using an Internet of Things software platform and tested under real conditions in a wastewater treatment plant scenario. By doing so, a decentralized SWQMS conceived and developed for wastewater quality monitoring and management is accomplished. This investigation aims to validate and optimize this solution to achieve a low-cost, fully automated in situ analyzer for environmental water monitoring. The proposed integrated system encompasses the analytical device that was connected to an IoT software platform, henceforth IoT platform, via a wireless sensor network. The core of the analytical device is a portable ion chromatography (IC) system which employs a novel design of a ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED)-based optical detector which enables cost-effective direct in situ detection of nitrite and nitrate in natural waters. The sample intake system is comprised of a 12 V high flow pump and a reservoir. The pump draws sample from the water source filling the reservoir. The sample intake pump runs at the beginning of each analysis cycle for 30 s. The pump module is responsible for loading sample into the system and pumping the eluent through the ion exchange column and detector for analysis. The pump module consists of four 3D printed syringe pumps, three of which are used for eluent delivery, whereas the fourth syringe pump draws sample from the reservoir. Once full, the syringe pumps empty at a set flow rate enabling chromatographic analysis and analyte detection. The optical detection cell consists of a low-cost, UV absorbance detector which incorporates a 235 nm LED and photodiode. The photodiode is coupled with an ADS1115 analogue to digital converter (ADC). The signal from the photodiode (0–3.3 V) is sampled every 50 ms by the ADC which communicates with the systems microcontroller via I2C protocol. A HTU21D-F temperature and humidity sensor is used to measure the internal parameters of the analyzer. The sensor communicates over I2C and the readings are logged once at the beginning of every cycle. The system is powered from a portable battery (Voltaic V88), which has a capacity of 24 Ampere-hour and supplies 12 Volts to the embedded system. The battery is charged from an alternating current source with a supplied adapter. The system can operate on battery alone for short periods of time, however, for long term deployments the unit runs from the battery while it is charging. This setup allows the system to function for up to 5 days on battery alone at an hourly sampling frequency, if the main power supply fails.

Claims:1. We claim an integrated IoT system for water quality monitoring is conceived and customized for its demonstration and preliminary validation in wastewater treatment.
2. As mentioned in 1 we claim that the device or system may contain any type of electrical or electronic circuits and any type of processor or controller.
3. As mentioned in 1 we claim that any communication medium or system in the station used for the device or system.
4. As mentioned in 1 we claim that any intelligence and computer algorithms used for the above-mentioned process.
5. As mentioned in 1 we claim that any type of power source used for our system or device in the station.
6. As mentioned in 1 we claim that the system or device can have any type of architecture and physical designs.
7. As mentioned in 1 we claim that any type of sensors for obtaining the parameters.
, Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Water is a scarce and precious resource that is being put under pressure due to the fast-growing population that is extracting too much water and polluting our rivers, lakes, and groundwater with municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastes. Climate change, loss of biodiversity, unsustainable use of natural resources, and environmental pressures have a negative impact on water quality and quantity which are inextricably linked, with over extraction causing low river flows, low ground water levels, and drying up of wetlands. The deteriorating water environment, accelerating the shortage of water and affecting human health, has become an important problem that restricts the development of cities.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One of the most important environmental problems today is, undoubtedly, the contamination of water by nitrates, especially in areas with significant agricultural activity. The nitrates are natural components of soil and water, both surface and underground, which come, in part, from the decomposition of nitrogenous organic matter, although their presence in the soil and in aquifers increases with the use of nitrogenous fertilizers and manure in areas with a high level of agricultural activity. Farmers invest large amounts of nitrogenous fertilizers in the fields to maintain adequate production and increase yields. Most of these are not absorbed by plants, so they settle in the soil and gradually filter through it, reaching groundwater. Similarly, these compounds can circulate through surface runoff and cause contamination problems in surface, fresh, or marine waters. An excessive contribution of nutrients in surface waters, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, gives rise to a rapid proliferation of aquatic vegetation, as a consequence of oxygen depletion on the surface, which favors the appearance of eutrophication processes.
One of the most effective approaches to address this challenge of sustainability is wastewater treatment, in which water quality monitoring (WQM) plays a key role. WQM can be described as a method for periodically sampling and analyzing water conditions and characteristics. This method forms the basis for water environmental management, as it is vital to monitor source waters and the aquatic systems that receive inputs from industrial waste and sewage treatment plants, stormwater systems, and runoff from urban and agricultural lands. Similarly, domestic sewage and water flows resulting from chemical processes and waste in industry and sanitation should be monitored in wastewater treatment plants that purify the water to decontaminate it before releasing it into the sea (or other large bodies of water), or be used for other applications such as irrigation, and to detect possible toxic or radioactive discharges.
Wastewater, also known as sewage, contains more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents, and the bacteriological organisms that it contains. The quality of treated wastewater is defined by physical-chemical parameters such as pH, temperature, conductivity, turbidity, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. From an environmental perspective, the concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and nitrite in water are crucial due to their role in eutrophication. They are important analytes for environmental, food and human health monitoring and thus their detection and quantification is essential. Wastewater treatment is an important component in the water cycle, as it ensures that the environmental impact of human usage of water is significantly reduced. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) use a series of treatment stages to clean up the contaminated water so that the treated effluent is safely discharged to inland water, estuaries and the sea. Wastewater treatment consists of several processes (physical, biological, and chemical) that aim to reduce nitrogen, phosphorous, organic matter, and suspended solids content. The purpose of WQM is to support the control of these processes by accurately monitoring water parameters (e.g., nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and pH) mainly in the influent and effluent of each WWTP. Specifically, WQM performs (i) the detection and quantification of these parameters in the influent wastewater that could affect the treatment processes, providing the plant operator with valuable information to foresee such effects, and (ii) the analytical control of the effluent to verify that the treated waters comply with the standards required by the current regulations, ensuring the environmental sustainability of water.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention presents the integration to a WSN and a preliminary validation in a wastewater treatment plant scenario of a low-cost water quality monitoring device in the close-to-market stage. This system consists of a nitrate and nitrite analyzer based on a novel ion chromatography detection method. The analytical device is integrated using an Internet of Things software platform and tested under real conditions in a wastewater treatment plant scenario. By doing so, a decentralized SWQMS conceived and developed for wastewater quality monitoring and management is accomplished. This investigation aims to validate and optimize this solution to achieve a low-cost, fully automated in situ analyzer for environmental water monitoring.
The proposed integrated system encompasses the analytical device that was connected to an IoT software platform, henceforth IoT platform, via a wireless sensor network. The core of the analytical device is a portable ion chromatography (IC) system which employs a novel design of a ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED)-based optical detector which enables cost-effective direct in situ detection of nitrite and nitrate in natural waters. The sample intake system is comprised of a 12 V high flow pump and a reservoir. The pump draws sample from the water source filling the reservoir. The sample intake pump runs at the beginning of each analysis cycle for 30 s. The pump module is responsible for loading sample into the system and pumping the eluent through the ion exchange column and detector for analysis. The pump module consists of four 3D printed syringe pumps, three of which are used for eluent delivery, whereas the fourth syringe pump draws sample from the reservoir. Once full, the syringe pumps empty at a set flow rate enabling chromatographic analysis and analyte detection. The optical detection cell consists of a low-cost, UV absorbance detector which incorporates a 235 nm LED and photodiode. The photodiode is coupled with an ADS1115 analogue to digital converter (ADC). The signal from the photodiode (0–3.3 V) is sampled every 50 ms by the ADC which communicates with the systems microcontroller via I2C protocol. A HTU21D-F temperature and humidity sensor is used to measure the internal parameters of the analyzer. The sensor communicates over I2C and the readings are logged once at the beginning of every cycle.
The system is powered from a portable battery (Voltaic V88), which has a capacity of 24 Ampere-hour and supplies 12 Volts to the embedded system. The battery is charged from an alternating current source with a supplied adapter. The system can operate on battery alone for short periods of time, however, for long term deployments the unit runs from the battery while it is charging. This setup allows the system to function for up to 5 days on battery alone at an hourly sampling frequency, if the main power supply fails.