ACCIONA operates its own aggregate, concrete, asphalt mix and soil-cement production plants to supply its infrastructure construction projects. Currently, quality control of both produced and supplied aggregates is carried out in accordance with project-specific standards and regulatory requirements, based on manual sampling and batch laboratory testing.

This conventional approach inevitably generates a time lag between production or supply and the availability of laboratory test results. The absence of an internal, real-time quality control system limits the ability to make evidence-based operational decisions during plant operation, reducing opportunities to improve productivity, process efficiency and material yield.

The incorporation of advanced technologies—such as machine vision systems and real-time image acquisition, processing and analysis solutions based on deep learning and artificial intelligence—represents a significant opportunity to enhance aggregate production and quality control processes.

Real-time monitoring of aggregate properties would enable dynamic adjustment of mix designs based on actual material characteristics, leading to improved process optimisation and more efficient use of resources. This may result in reductions in energy consumption, binder content and the use of chemical additives.

In addition, access to reliable and detailed quality information at batch or continuous-production level would facilitate increased use of recycled materials, promoting greater incorporation of recycled aggregates and reclaimed asphalt (RA), in line with ACCIONA’s sustainability objectives.

ACCIONA is launching this innovation challenge to identify pilot solutions capable of implementing a continuous, real-time aggregate quality control system based on image capture and digital image processing.

The proposed solutions should enable the extraction of geometric properties of aggregates that can be correlated with the standard laboratory tests required under current European regulations.

The solution should be able to:

• Determine the particle size distribution of individual aggregate fractions or blended materials, providing results that are reasonably comparable to conventional sieve analysis in accordance with EN 933-1.
• Estimate additional aggregate geometric parameters, including: Shape coefficient (EN 933-4), flakiness index (EN 933-3), percentage of crushed particles (EN 933-5).
• Particular value will be given to solutions capable of performing continuous measurements at different points within the production process, such as conveyor belts, hopper discharge points or other relevant locations within the plant, as well as systems capable of analysing aggregate material directly on the surface of delivery trucks supplying the plants.