NOVELTY - Recovering (M1) recyclable water from thin stillage involves receiving supply of thin stillage; removing at least one of microbial metabolite, plant derivative, and/or plant extractive to produce processed thin stillage; and recovering recyclable water from processed thin stillage.    USE - For recovering recyclable water, fermentation products and organic compounds from thin stillage; also for recovering microbial metabolite, plant derivative, and/or plant extractive (claimed), for producing short-chain alcohols suitable for fuels for internal combustion engines or as fuel supplements for petroleum-based fuels.    ADVANTAGE - The organic compounds in the thin stillage, e.g. microbial metabolites such as acetic, propionic and lactic acids, and yeast metabolites such as 2-phenylethanol (PEA) that act as fermentation inhibitors are linked to significant decreases in fermentation activity, more specifically in yeast fermentation activity, and even more specifically in yeast growth rates. The removal of these compounds that act as fermentation inhibitors prior to the recycling of thin stillage, enables more effective and efficient fermentation processes, and more specifically enables more cost effective ethanol fuel production processes. In addition, separation and further recovery of the yeast metabolites and microbial metabolites present in thin stillage provide for the recovery of valuable compounds that may have significant commercial value.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for the following:    (1) recovering (M2) organic compounds from thin stillage involving receiving supply of thin stillage; and separating and recovering at least one organic compound which is microbial metabolite, plant derivative, and/or plant extractive; and    (2) removing (M3) microbial inhibiters from thin stillage involving receiving supply of thin stillage; assessing the supply of thin stillage for presence of microbial-inhibiting organic compounds; if the presence of microbial-inhibiting organic compounds is detected in the supply of thin stillage, then separating the microbial inhibiting organic compounds from supply of thin stillage thus producing decontaminated thin stillage; and de-watering the decontaminated thin stillage to produce recyclable water fraction and decontaminated de-watered thin stillage fraction.