Recent developments in energy-related research increasingly rely upon simultaneous resource saving and pollution reduction by applying Process Integration. The 20th Conference on Process Integration for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction PRES'17 has been at the heart of the exchange of ideas and knowledge transfer on these issues. It has been held in Tianjin, China, on 21-24 August 2017. More than 300 lectures and nearly 200 posters have been presented on the main conference topics, many of which directly related to the supply, conversion and use of energy in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way. The current Virtual Special Issue (VSI) of the Energy Journal, dedicated to PRES'17 contains 27 articles, selected from nearly 50 initially invited manuscripts. This article analyses the key research areas covered by this VSI, briefly discussing their key actions and the achieved results. Six key areas have been identified for the finally accepted contributions, relating to heat transfer, energy systems control, heat recovery, process and energy efficiency, heat, power, infrastructure and implementation issues. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.