TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Components: The system for separating alcohol from a fermented feed and concentrating thin stillage into syrup, comprises: a beer column having an inlet for receiving a fermented feed, which column has a top outlet for discharging an alcohol-rich vapor and a beer bottom outlet for discharging alcohol-poor beer bottoms including distiller's grains and thin stillage, which primarily includes water and, optionally, solvent; a multi-effect evaporation system for concentrating the thin stillage, which system comprises a set of first effect evaporators for evaporating water from the thin stillage to produce first effect steam and first mid stillage, where the first effect evaporators include at least a first and a second first effect evaporator connected in series, the first effect evaporator has a stillage inlet in communication with the beer bottom outlet of the beer column for receiving the thin stillage of the beer bottoms and a stillage outlet for discharging stillage, the subsequent first effect evaporator has a stillage inlet in communication with the stillage outlet of the previous first effect evaporator, the first effect evaporators have a vapor inlet for receiving heated vapor from a vapor source, the first effect evaporator is configured to cause the heated vapor to heat-exchange with the thin stillage so that water is incrementally evaporated from the thin stillage to produce the first mid stillage and the first effect steam, and the first effect evaporator has a first effect steam outlet for releasing the first effect steam, a set of second effect evaporators for evaporating water from the first mid stillage to produce second effect steam and second mid stillage, where the second effect evaporators include at least a first and a second effect evaporator connected in series, the first second effect evaporator has a stillage inlet connected to the stillage outlet of the last first effect evaporator and a stillage outlet for discharging stillage, the subsequent second effect evaporator has a stillage inlet in communication with the stillage outlet of the previous second effect evaporator, the second effect evaporators have a vapor inlet connected to the first effect steam outlets, the second effect evaporator is configured to cause the first effect steam to heat-exchange with the first mid stillage so that water is incrementally evaporated from the first mid stillage to produce second mid stillage and the second effect steam, and the second effect evaporator has a second effect steam outlet for releasing the second effect steam, and a set of third effect evaporators for evaporating water from the second mid stillage to produce third effect steam and syrup, where the third effect evaporators include at least a first and a second third effect evaporator connected in series, the first third effect evaporator has a stillage inlet connected to the stillage outlet of the last second effect evaporator and a stillage outlet for discharging stillage, the subsequent third effect evaporator has a stillage inlet in communication with the stillage outlet of the previous third effect evaporator, the third effect evaporators have a vapor inlet connected to the second effect steam outlets, the third effect evaporator is configured to cause the second effect steam to heat-exchange with the second mid stillage so that water is incrementally evaporated from the second mid stillage to produce the syrup and the third effect steam, where each third effect evaporator have a third effect steam outlet for releasing the third effect steam; and a steam line connecting the last effect steam outlets of the last effect evaporators to a vapor inlet of the beer column so that at least a portion of the last effect steam provides heat for operation of the beer column. The multi-effect evaporation system for concentrating the thin stillage into syrup, comprises: a set of first effect evaporators for evaporating water from the thin stillage to produce first effect steam and first mid stillage, where the first effect evaporators include at least a first, second and a third first effect evaporator connected in series, the first effect evaporator has a stillage inlet in communication with the beer bottom outlet of the beer column for receiving the thin stillage of the beer bottoms and a stillage outlet for discharging stillage, the subsequent first effect evaporator has a stillage inlet in communication with the stillage outlet of the previous first effect evaporator, the first effect evaporators have a vapor inlet for receiving heated vapor from a vapor source, the first effect evaporator is configured to cause the heated vapor to heat-exchange with the thin stillage so that water is incrementally evaporated from the thin stillage to produce the first mid stillage and the first effect steam, and the first effect evaporator has a first effect steam outlet for releasing the first effect steam, a set of second effect evaporators for evaporating water from the first mid stillage to produce second effect steam and second mid stillage, where the second effect evaporators include at least a first, second and third effect evaporator connected in series, the first second effect evaporator has a stillage inlet connected to the stillage outlet of the third first effect evaporator and a stillage outlet for discharging stillage, the subsequent second effect evaporator has a stillage inlet in communication with the stillage outlet of the previous second effect evaporator, the second effect evaporators have a vapor inlet connected to the first effect steam outlets, the second effect evaporator is configured to cause the first effect steam to heat-exchange with the first mid stillage so that water is incrementally evaporated from the first mid stillage to produce second mid stillage and the second effect steam, where the second effect evaporator has a second effect steam outlet for releasing the second effect steam, and a set of third effect evaporators for evaporating water from the second mid stillage to produce third effect steam and syrup, where the third effect evaporators include at least a first, second and third effect evaporator connected in series, the first third effect evaporator has a stillage inlet connected to the stillage outlet of the third second effect evaporator and a stillage outlet for discharging stillage, the subsequent third effect evaporator has a stillage inlet in communication with the stillage outlet of the previous third effect evaporator, the third effect evaporators have a vapor inlet connected to the second effect steam outlets, the third effect evaporator is configured to cause the second effect steam to heat-exchange with the second mid stillage so that water is incrementally evaporated from the second mid stillage to produce the syrup and the third effect steam, where each third effect evaporator have a third effect steam outlet for releasing the third effect steam, where the thin stillage is obtained as a by-product of separating alcohol from a fermented feed in a beer column. The system comprises three effects comprising three first effect evaporators arranged in series, three second effect evaporators arranged in series, and three third effect evaporators arranged in series. The system comprises four effects comprising two first effect evaporators arranged in series, two second effect evaporators arranged in series, two third effect evaporators arranged in series, and further comprises two fourth effect evaporators arranged in series. The system comprises three effects comprising four first effect evaporators arranged in series, four second effect evaporators arranged in series, and at least one third effect evaporator. The system comprises two to four third effect evaporators arranged in series. The first effect evaporators are arranged so that one of the evaporators can be bypassed while the remaining first effect evaporators continue to operate. The second effect evaporators are arranged so that one of the evaporators can be bypassed while the remaining second effect evaporators continue to operate. The third effect evaporators are arranged so that one of the evaporators can be bypassed while the remaining third effect evaporators continue to operate. The fourth effect evaporators are arranged so that one of the evaporators can be bypassed while the remaining third effect evaporators continue to operate. The system further comprises: a separator (270) configured to separate the thin stillage from the distiller's grains of the beer bottoms; a beer bottoms line connecting the separator and the beer bottoms outlet; and a thin stillage line connecting the separator and the stillage inlet of the first effect evaporator. The separator is a centrifuge or filter press. The system further comprises a second and a third thin stillage line connected to the first thin stillage line, where the stillage inlet of each of the second and third first effect evaporators is in communication with the respective second and third thin stillage lines, where the first, second and third first effect evaporators may receive thin stillage from the separator in parallel. In the system, a pressure in the beer column at the vapor inlet is below atmospheric pressure. The system further comprises a solvent column having an inlet for receiving a portion of the fermented feed that includes a solvent, where the solvent column have a top outlet for discharging a solvent-poor and alcohol-rich vapor and a bottom outlet for a solvent-rich and alcohol-poor liquid, and the solvent column is operated in parallel with the beer column; and a second steam line connecting the last effect steam outlets of the last effect evaporators to a vapor inlet of the solvent column such that a portion of the last effect steam provides heat for operation of the solvent column, where a pressure in the solvent column at the vapor inlet is below atmospheric pressure. The first, second, third and fourth effect evaporators have valves for isolating the evaporator and bypass valves associated with it for redirecting stillage into a line which bypasses the evaporator and reroutes the stillage to the stillage inlet of the next evaporator.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method further comprises: separating the fermented feed into a solvent-rich portion and a solvent-poor portion, where the solvent-poor portion is the portion of the fermented feed distilled in the beer column; separating the solvent-rich portion in a solvent column (230) to produce a solvent-poor and alcohol-rich vapor and a solvent-rich and alcohol-poor liquid, where the solvent column is operated in parallel with the beer column and maintained at a pressure below atmospheric pressure; and using a portion of the last effect steam to supply sufficient heat for distilling the solvent-rich portion of the fermented feed in the solvent column. The method further comprises: condensing the butanol-rich vapor produced in the beer column to produce a first butanol-rich liquid; condensing the solvent-poor vapor produced in the solvent column to produce a solvent-poor liquid; combining the first butanol-rich liquid and the solvent-poor liquid to produce a liquid including butanol; separating the liquid including butanol to produce a second butanol-rich liquid and a butanol-poor liquid; and distilling the second butanol-rich liquid in a distillation column to produce a liquid bottom product of substantially 100 wt% butanol. The method further comprises: feeding the thin stillage produced in the beer column to the first effect evaporators in parallel; and using plant steam to supply sufficient heat for evaporating water from the thin stillage in the first effect evaporators. The top outlet of the beer column discharges a butanol-rich vapor. Preferred Components: The alcohol-rich vapor distilled off the fermented feed in the beer column is a butanol-rich vapor. The fermented feed includes a solvent. The thin stillage primarily includes water. The thin stillage comprises a solvent, which comprises at least one of 12-22C fatty alcohols, 12-22C fatty acids, esters of 12-22C fatty acids, 12-22C fatty aldehydes or 12-22C fatty amides. The thin stillage comprises oil from the fermentation feedstock. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.