Mechanical Vapor Recompression in Distillation: A Framework to Analyze Technical Feasibility, Economic Competitiveness, and Ecological Benefits

ABSTRACT Mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) presents a promising alternative to conventional steam‐driven distillation by substituting thermal energy input with electricity. This article presents a modular evaluation framework for the early assessment of MVR‐based distillation scenarios for binary mixtures, considering equipment‐specific aspects. To assess economic efficiency, aspects of technical feasibility are also included by using shortcut methods to identify technical solutions for compatible compressor and evaporator combinations. Designed for minimal user input and easy integration into the engineering workflow, the framework further enables the quantification of ecological impacts. The concept and main functions of thermodynamic potential analysis, preliminary compressor and column reboiler design, and economic and ecological performance indicator determination are outlined, and the most relevant results to users are summarized.