Design Of Cow Dung Fermentation Equipment For Organic Fertilizer Based On ESP32

Abstract

The excessive use of chemical fertilizers in the Indonesian agricultural sector leads to soil damage, water pollution, and a decline in the quality of farm products. To overcome this, it is necessary to process cow dung into organic fertilizer that is more efficient and sustainable. The traditional fermentation process, which is time-consuming and requires precise control, encourages the development of ESP32-based fermentation tools. This fermentation tool is designed to automatically control temperature, humidity, and fermentation time parameters. This tool is equipped with scheduled stirring at 07:00, 12:00, and 21:00 for 2 minutes, ventilation, and a fan, as well as real-time monitoring via the Telegram application with notification of completed fermentation. The fermentation process was carried out for 14 days, during which time the humidity changed from 71% to 43%, exhibiting a decreasing pattern. The high initial moisture (71%) gradually decreased due to microbial activity and evaporation, which was also affected by temperature and ventilation. Towards the end, the humidity stabilized at 55%-48%, indicating fermentation was almost complete. Test results indicate that the temperature sensor readings are accurate, with a difference of 0.365 and a percentage error of 1.3%. In contrast, the humidity sensor has a difference of 2.7 and a percentage error of 9%. This tool has been proven to efficiently speed up the fermentation process compared to the manual method, which requires human labor for stirring, filling liquids, and data collection.