Carbonchain: Web3-Based Carbon Emission Monitoring System

Abstract

Industrial carbon emissions play a major role in environmental pollution and climate change. Because of this, industries are required to continuously monitor their emissions and ensure they follow environmental regulations. Traditional emission monitoring systems generally rely on centralized databases, which can sometimes lead to problems such as delayed reporting, lack of transparency, and the possibility of data being altered. To overcome these issues, this paper introduces CarbonChain, a decentralized carbon emission monitoring system that combines Internet of Things (IoT) sensing technologies with blockchain verification. Environmental parameters such as gas concentration and particulate matter are collected in real time using sensors connected to microcontroller units. The sensor readings are then transmitted to a backend server where the data is validated and categorized. After validation, the emission records are stored on the blockchain through smart contracts, generating secure transaction hashes that ensure the integrity of the data. A web-based dashboard allows regulators and industry stakeholders to monitor emission levels, check compliance status, and verify blockchain records in real time. By combining IoT-based sensing with blockchain technology, CarbonChain creates a transparent and tamper-resistant monitoring platform that can support environmental auditing and carbon credit verification.

Introduction

The text explains that rising industrial activity has increased carbon emissions, making accurate and transparent monitoring essential. Traditional centralized systems face issues like data tampering, delays, and lack of trust.

To address this, the proposed CarbonChain system combines IoT sensors and blockchain technology. IoT sensors collect real-time environmental data (e.g., gas levels, air quality), while blockchain ensures the data is secure, immutable, and verifiable. The system architecture includes sensing, data processing, blockchain storage, and visualization layers. Smart contracts automate validation and recording of emission data, and a dashboard allows stakeholders to monitor emissions and compliance in real time.

Conclusion

This paper presented CarbonChain, a decentralized carbon emission monitoring system that integrates IoT sensing technologies with blockchain-based data verification. The proposed framework addresses key challenges associated with traditional monitoring infrastructures, particularly issues related to data manipulation, centralized control, and limited transparency. The prototype implementation demonstrated that environmental data can be collected in real time using distributed sensor networks. Gas sensors and particulate monitoring devices enabled continuous measurement of industrial emissions, while the backend processing system ensured accurate validation and classification of sensor data. By storing emission records on the blockchain, the system introduced immutable data storage and transparent audit trails. This approach improves trust among regulatory authorities, industries, and environmental auditors by ensuring that monitoring records cannot be altered after they are recorded. The web-based monitoring dashboard further enhanced system usability by providing real-time emission analytics and blockchain verification logs. This interface enables stakeholders to track emission levels and verify compliance records efficiently. Overall, the CarbonChain system demonstrates how the integration of IoT and blockchain technologies can create a secure, transparent, and scalable environmental monitoring ecosystem. The proposed architecture also lays the foundation for future developments such as automated carbon credit management systems and decentralized sustainability reporting platforms.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Revathy S P, Samuvel M, Sibi Aathithyaa B, Sanjay R. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.