Ammonia and ethanol detection via an electronic nose utilizing a bionic chamber and a sparrow search algorithm–optimized backpropagation neural network

Ammonia is widely acknowledged to be a stressor and one of the most detrimental gases in animal enclosures. In livestock- and poultry-breeding facilities, a precise, rapid, and affordable method for detecting ammonia concentrations is essential. We design and develop an electronic nose system containing a bionic chamber that imitates the nasal-cavity structure of humans and canines. The sensors are positioned based on fluid simulation results. Response data for ammonia and ethanol gases and the response/ recovery times of an ammonia sensor under three concentrations are collected using the electronic nose system. Response data are classified and regressed using a sparrow search algorithm (SSA)-optimized backpropagation neural network (BPNN). The results show that the sensor has a relative mean deviation of 1.45%. The ammonia sensor’s output voltage is 1.3–2.05 V when the ammonia concentration ranges from 15 to 300 ppm. The ethanol gas sensor’s output voltage is 1.89–3.15 V when the ethanol gas concentration ranges from 8 to 200 ppm. The average response time of the ammonia sensor in the chamber is 13 s slower than that of the sensor directly exposed to the gas being measured, while the average recovery time is 19 s faster. In tests comparing the performance of the SSA-BPNN, support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF) models, the SSA-BPNN achieves a 99.1% classification accuracy, better than the SVM and RF models. It also outperforms the other models at regression prediction, with smaller absolute, mean absolute, and root mean square errors. Its coefficient of determination (R2) is greater than 0.99, surpassing those of the SVM and RF models. The theoretical and experimental results both indicate that the proposed electronic nose system containing a bionic chamber, when used with the SSA-BPNN, offers a promising approach for detecting ammonia in livestock- and poultry-breeding facilities.