The tobacco production and processing process is a vital economic activity in northern Argentina. Curing tobacco is a drying process that involves the use of gas or wood-fired ovens, and that requires extensive energy consumption with almost 40 million natural gas per year that directly produces about 100,000 equivalent tons of carbon dioxide. carbon.

The objective of the present investigation was to develop a tobacco curing stove through 2 fundamental axes: the reuse of heat and the use of solar energy with the aim of reducing the energy used in the stoves. The improved stove tried to improve the following aspects: improvement of thermal insulation, improvement of the heat recovery system, improvement of heat and air distribution, moderation of the fan power, as well as the implementation of solar energy in the process. A stove code was made to compare it with a modified stove. The results showed a decrease in consumption of 37.6 cubic meters of natural gas, as well as a decrease in the process time by 2.3 days, which allows for greater production in less time and at a lower cost. The cost of the new stove was only 20% more than the conventional one, where its financial viability was affirmed through key indicators.