Impact of Distillation Column Design on Potential for the Integration of Mechanical Vapor Recompression

ABSTRACT Electrification offers a promising route to reduce CO 2 emissions in the chemical sector. In distillation, heat pump integration such as mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) can replace fossil‐based utilities, but column parameters like pressure drop should be accurately considered when assessing integration potential. This work discusses the effect of feed preheating and column pressure drop on MVR integration potential. The two binary separation tasks, methanol–water and benzene–toluene, are analyzed to identify energetically optimal preheater and MVR design. In addition, MVR integration in a bioethanol vacuum distillation sequence is evaluated for utility demand, CO 2 emissions, and economic feasibility under varying pressure drops, preheating configurations, and cost and emission scenarios.