Integration of Industry 4.0 Technologies in Environmental Sanitation: A Sistematic Review

Abstract

Environmental sanitation faces challenges arising from uncontrolled urban growth, increased pollution, inadequate monitoring methods, increased demand for clean water, insufficient sewage treatment capacity, and lack of maintenance on aging systems. Industry 4.0, through technological innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT), microcontrollers, and sensors, seeks to solve problems related to sewage management, given the increased demand for water resources and the poor performance of existing treatment plants. Therefore, this study aims to explore the scientific literature on the application of Industry 4.0 principles in the context of sanitation, with a specific focus on optimizing sewage network monitoring through IoT and technologies aimed at automation and process improvement. To this end, a string search strategy was adopted to select articles related to the topic. Initially, a set of approximately seventy articles was analyzed based on keywords, of which thirty-seven presented contents aligned with the proposed application of Industry 4.0 in environmental sanitation. After detailed analysis, ten articles were selected as the basis for this study. Thus, the article seeks to propose solutions, using emerging technologies, to address the shortcomings still present in the urban sanitation sector. Through this, it aims to reduce damage to infrastructure and public health, optimize operational costs, improve the efficiency of treatment plants, and enhance water infrastructure management with artificial intelligence.