A Blockchain-based Framework for Improving Energy Efficiency and Scalability in IoT Networks

PDF (720KB), PP.53-62

Views: 0 Downloads: 0

Author(s)

Samuel A. Oyenuga 1 Brendan C. Ubochi 2,* Okechi Onuoha 3 Nnamdi Nwulu 4

1. Department of Information and Communication Engineering, The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria

2. Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria

3. Department of Computer Science, School of Physics Engineering and Computer Science (SPECS), University of Hertfordshire, UK

4. Center for Cyber-Physical Food, Energy, and Water Systems, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

* Corresponding author.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5815/ijeme.2025.05.05

Received: 30 Nov. 2024 / Revised: 10 Feb. 2025 / Accepted: 26 Mar. 2025 / Published: 8 Oct. 2025

Index Terms

Blockchain, IoT Security, DDoS, Scalability, Edge Computing, Privacy

Abstract

The rapid growth in IoT applications has brought enormous challenges especially with achieving scalability and security in communicating devices. Traditional centralized security models are inadequate for managing the vast volume of data and diverse communication protocols in IoT environments, making them vulnerable to attacks such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and unauthorized access. Blockchain technology offers a decentralized alternative with its inherent properties of immutability, transparency, and decentralized consensus, providing a robust security solution for IoT communication. This paper presents a novel blockchain-based framework designed to secure IoT communication by addressing key challenges such as data integrity, privacy, and scalability. The proposed system integrates Ethereum’s blockchain, Zero Knowledge (ZK)-Rollups for Layer 2 scaling, and edge computing to optimise both performance and energy efficiency in large-scale IoT networks. The framework achieves a transaction throughput of 2,500 transactions per second with a median latency of 850 milliseconds. ZK-Rollups ensure that 99.8% of transactional data remains off-chain, improving privacy while reducing computational overhead. The system maintains 99.7% uptime during DDoS attacks and reduces energy consumption by 95% compared to traditional Proof of Work (PoW) blockchain systems. These findings indicate that the proposed blockchain-based framework is scalable, energy-efficient, and secure, making it a promising solution for large-scale IoT deployments in sectors such as smart cities, industrial automation, and healthcare.

Cite This Paper

Samuel A. Oyenuga, Brendan C. Ubochi, Okechi Onuoha, Nnamdi Nwulu, "A Blockchain-based Framework for Improving Energy Efficiency and Scalability in IoT Networks", International Journal of Education and Management Engineering (IJEME), Vol.15, No.5, pp. 53-62, 2025. DOI:10.5815/ijeme.2025.05.05

Reference

[1]Gartner. Gartner Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2021, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-top-strategic-technology-trends-for-2021.
[2]Fei, W., Ohno, H. and Sampalli, S.  On A systematic review of IoT security: research potential, challenges and future directions. ACM Computing Surveys, 56 (5), 1-40, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1145/3625094.
[3]Dorri, A., Kanhere, S. S. and Jurdak, R.. Towards an optimized blockchain for IoT. In Proceedings of the second international conference on Internet-of-Things design and implementation, 173-178, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1145/3054977.3055003.
[4]Nakamoto, S. Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system, 2008. Retrieved from http://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf.
[5]Gugueoth, V., Safavat, S., Shetty, S. and Rawat, D. A review of IoT security and privacy using decentralized blockchain techniques. Computer Science Review, 50, 100585, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosrev.2023.100585.
[6]Christidis, K. and Devetsikiotis, M. Blockchains and smart contracts for the internet of things. IEEE Access, 4, 2292-2303, 2016. https://doi,org/10.1109/ACCESS.2016.2566339.
[7]Reyna, A., Martín, C., Chen, J., Soler, E. and Díaz, M. On blockchain and its integration with IoT. Challenges and opportunities. Future generation computer systems, 88, 173-190, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2018.05.046.
[8]Bez, M., Fornari, G. and Vardanega, T. The scalability challenge of ethereum: An initial quantitative analysis. In 2019 IEEE International Conference on Service-Oriented System Engineering (SOSE), 167-176, 2019. IEEE. https://doi.org/0.1109/SOSE.2019.00031.
[9]Tundalwar, D. S., Pandhare, R. A. and Digalwar, M. Internet of Things (IoT) current research challenges and opportunities and blockchain as a potential solution: A review. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30 (2), 1230-1244, 2024. https://doi.org/10.53555/kuey.v30i2.4885.
[10]Xu, R., Chen, Y., Blasch, E. and Chen, G. BlendCAC: A smart contract Enabled decentralized capability based access control mechanism for the IoT. Computers, 8(3), 66, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers7030039.
[11]Gudgeon, L., Moreno-Sanchez, P., Roos, S., McCorry, P. and Gervais, A. SoK: Layer-two blockchain protocols. In International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security, 201-226, 2020. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4_12.
[12]Sathishkumar, M. and Raghavendran, V.  Securing IoT healthcare data: The power of blockchain and homomorphic encryption. 2024 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Computing and Smart Systems (ICSCSS), Coimbatore, India, 2024, pp. 309-314, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1109/icscss60660.2024.10624820.
[13]Lin, X., Zhang, Y., Huang, C., Xing, B., Chen, L.-C., Hu, D. and Chen, Y. SoK: Layer-two blockchain protocols. In International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security, 201-226. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4_12
[14]Sicari, S., Rizzardi, A., Grieco, L. A., and Coen-Porisini, A. Security, privacy and trust in Internet of Things: The road ahead. Computer networks, 76, 146-164, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2014.11.008.
[15]Al-Fuqaha, A., Guizani, M., Mohammadi, M., Aledhari, M. and Ayyash, M. Internet of things: A survey on enabling technologies, protocols, and applications. IEEE communications surveys & tutorials, 17(4), 2347-2376, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1109/COMST.2015.2444095.
[16]Gupta, P., Verma, R., Verma, D., & Rathore, P.S. Building a Stronger Grid: How Blockchain Can Improve Smart Grid Resilience. 2023 IEEE Renewable Energy and Sustainable E-Mobility Conference (RESEM), 1-7, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1109/RESEM57584.2023.10236304.
[17]Novo, O. Blockchain meets IoT: An architecture for scalable access management in IoT. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 5(2), 1184-1195, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1109/JIOT.2018.2812239.
[18]Dorri, A., Kanhere, S. S., Jurdak, R. and Gauravaram, P. Blockchain for IoT security and privacy: The case study of a smart home. In 2017 IEEE international conference on pervasive computing and communications workshops (PerCom workshops), 618-623, 2017. IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/PERCOMW.2017.7917634.
[19]Salimitari, M., Chatterjee, M. and Fallah, Y. P. A survey on consensus methods in blockchain for resource-constrained IoT networks. Internet of Things, 100129, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iot.2020.100212.
[20]Fotohi, R. and Aliee, F.S. Securing communication between things using blockchain technology based on authentication and SHA-256 to improving scalability in large-scale IoT. Comput. Networks, 197, 108331, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2021.108331.
[21]Agarwal, V. and Pal, S. HierChain: A Hierarchical-Blockchain-Based Data Management System for Smart Healthcare. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 11, 2924-2934, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1109/JIOT.2023.3295847.
[22]Siachamis, G., Kaliakatsos, C., Stavropoulos, G., Votis, K., Ioannidis, D., & Tzovaras, D. A Decentralized Secured Data sharing Framework for IoT Networks. 2022 IEEE 8th World Forum on Internet of Things (WF-IoT), 1-6, 2022. https:/doi.org/10.1109/WF-IoT54382.2022.10152247.
[23]Bai, H., Xia, G. and Fu, S. A Two-Layer-Consensus Based Blockchain Architecture for IoT. 2019 IEEE 9th International Conference on Electronics Information and Emergency Communication (ICEIEC), 1-6, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEIEC.2019.8784458.
[24]Palladino, S. (2019). Scalability. In: Ethereum for Web Developers (pp. 275–319). Apress, Berkeley, CA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5278-9_8.
[25]Singh, A., Parizi, R. M., Han, M., Dehghantanha, A., Karimipour, H., & Choo, K.-K. R. (2020). Public Blockchains Scalability: An Examination of Sharding and Segregated Witness. In Blockchain Cybersecurity, Trust and Privacy (pp. 203–232). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38181-3_11.
[26]Asif, R., & Hassan, S. R. (2023). Shaping the future of Ethereum: Exploring energy consumption in Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake consensus. Frontiers in Blockchain, 6, 1151724. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbloc.2023.1151724