July 2025
Launch: ENET® MVR reduces energy consumption in juice concentration by up to 140%
Citrotec® will present unprecedented technology for the sugar-energy sector during Fenasucro 2025.
Citrotec®, a reference in technological solutions for the citrus and sugar-energy sectors, will officially present the ENET® MVR during Fenasucro & Agrocana 2025, which takes place from August 12 to 15, in Sertãozinho (SP).
The equipment is a turbulent mist evaporator, the renowned ENET®, with 1 effect and multiple stages that incorporates the Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) process.
Unprecedented in the sector, it represents a significant advance for plants seeking to increase their energy efficiency, with significant fuel savings (sugarcane bagasse), reduced operating costs, and increased productivity without the need to invest in new boilers.
The ENET® MVR is equipped with an electric mechanical compressor, from the renowned German manufacturer Piller, to decompress the vapor generated in the effect in order to raise the pressure and temperature, thus feeding the shell of the effect itself as a thermal source.
The technology is aimed at the concentration of sugarcane juice, a fundamental step in the production of sugar and ethanol, and provides energy savings of up to 50% compared to a 7-effect ENET® and 140% compared to conventional evaporators, such as the 5-effect Roberts.
According to Citrotec® Technical Director, Paulo Sampaio, the equipment is especially advantageous for plants that wish to increase their production without expanding steam generation. “With the ENET® MVR, it is possible to obtain up to 50% more concentrated juice with the same volume of installed steam. This represents a real opportunity for growth with lower investment,” he explains.
In addition, the ENET® MVR presents a very low fouling level, a characteristic already established in ENETs® models. Due to the design, which uses the highest state of the art in automation, the equipment will operate 100% automatically, without downtime for CIP, an unprecedented feat in the sector. The juice residence time is reduced, improving the quality of the syrup and sugar produced, with an excellent color standard.
2G and Corn Ethanol
Another strategic differential is its application in the concentration of C5 and C6 juices in the manufacture of second-generation ethanol (produced from sugarcane bagasse). The high energy efficiency of the ENET® MVR allows saving bagasse and, with the surplus raw material, producing more 2G ethanol.
Citrotec® also foresees a strong impact of the technology in the corn ethanol sector, where energy costs are higher. “The ENET® MVR allows multiplying the use of bagasse. This is an important feature in “flex” plants, which produce sugarcane and corn ethanol. With this savings, it is possible to operate a corn ethanol plant all year round without purchasing other fuel,” highlights Sampaio.
In partnership with the German company Piller, supplier of the system's compressors, Citrotec® developed a pioneering and 100% national project, unprecedented in the sugar-energy sector.
To validate the new technology, the company made a strategic investment in the development and installation of a pilot plant for the technology, unprecedented, 100% automatic and connected via satellite to collect and prove the data, guaranteeing reliable results for the sector. “Our commitment is to deliver innovation with responsibility. We only bring proven solutions to the market,” adds Sampaio.
Visit the Citrotec® booth at Fenasucro & Agrocana 2025 (Street C, booth C89) and get to know the ENET® MVR, Double Effect Economical Vacuum Hydrous Ethanol Distillery, and the 2nd Generation Economical Vacuum MEG Device up close, technologies that will transform the sugar-energy sector.