Sorigué is a leading producer of asphalt with a long tradition of product innovation. As part of the project “Energy diagnosis and improvement strategies in the asphalt production process,” we studied the energy behavior of three processes that take place at the Sorigué Group’s production facilities in La Plana del Corb: asphalt production, olive oil production and grain drying. These processes were selected for the high amounts of thermal energy they consume.

We began by defining thermal maps in the current state of each of the processes. Then, we went on to identify the main challenges related to energy efficiency and defined financially feasible solutions under different product scenarios. The challenges in the asphalt production process can be outlined in four categories: providing the raw material with lower moisture content, reducing energy losses in the processes, recovering energy lost in the processes and using cheaper, more environmentally friendly energy sources.

Once we had defined financially feasible solutions to improve each process, the project concluded with a series of recommendations aimed at enhancing the industry symbiosis between the three processes analyzed.

Once defined economically viable solutions for each process improvement, the project concluded with a series of recommendations aimed to enhance industrial symbiosis between the three processes analysed.