TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The process further involves operating the extractive distillation at an overheads temperature of - greater than or equal to 90 (preferably - greater than or equal to 40) degrees C; operating the extractive distillation at an overheads pressure of 1-4 MPag; separating the bottoms fraction to form an ethylene fraction and a hydrocarbon fraction comprises the greater than or equal to 2C hydrocarbon absorbent; recycling at least a portion of the hydrocarbon fraction to the extractive distillation; separating the bottoms fraction to form a light hydrocarbon fraction comprises ethylene and ethane, and a hydrocarbon fraction comprises at least one greater than or equal to 3C hydrocarbon; contacting the ethylene-containing stream with a caustic solution to separate at least a portion of any carbon dioxide contained in the ethylene-containing stream prior to the separating, contacting the ethylene-containing stream with a molecular sieve dryer to separate at least a portion of any water contained in the ethylene-containing stream prior to the separating, recovering an ethylene-containing stream having a reduced concentration of at least one of carbon dioxide and water, and feeding the ethylene-containing stream having a reduced concentration of at least one of carbon dioxide and water as the ethylene-containing stream fed to the separating; condensing and recycling at least a portion of the overheads fraction to the extractive distillation as a reflux; using at least a portion of the overheads fraction as a fuel; and treating the overheads fraction in a vent condenser to increase ethylene recovery. Preferred Components: The ethylene-containing stream comprises at least one of an effluent from a fluid catalytic cracking system, thermal cracking system, and/or steam cracking system; and an off-gas from a fluid catalytic cracking system, thermal cracking system, steam cracking system, and/or methanol to olefins conversion system. The greater than or equal to 2C hydrocarbon absorbent comprises at least one of ethane, propane, propylene, butane, butene, pentane, and/or pentene (preferably propane). The greater than or equal to 2C hydrocarbon comprises propane. The overheads fraction further comprises propane. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.