NOVELTY - Processing a fermentation residue into a synthetic coal and aqueous liquid solution products, comprises heating the fermentation residue in water to a temperature of less than 225 degrees C for a period of time of less than four hours in a confined system, so that the energy used for the entire processing of the fermentation residue is less than 500 British thermal unit (BTU) per pound of dry weight of the initial fermentation residue starting material for producing the synthetic coal and the aqueous liquid solution, and separating the synthetic coal from the aqueous liquid solution.    USE - The method is useful for processing a fermentation residue such as an aqueous suspension of whole stillage, wet distiller's grains, dried distiller's grains, mixed grains or dried distiller's grains with solubles derived from the dry-grind corn based production of ethanol, preferably thin stillage or condensed distiller's solubles into ethanol, a synthetic coal and aqueous liquid solution products (all claimed), which are useful as nitrogen fertilizer for agricultural purposes. No biological data given.    ADVANTAGE - The method ensures energy efficient process of the fermentation residue into the synthetic coal and aqueous liquid solution products with reduced natural gas consumption and high quality in an eco-friendly manner.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Processing a fermentation residue into a synthetic coal and aqueous liquid solution products, comprises: either heating the fermentation residue in water to a temperature of less than 225 degrees C for a period of time of less than four hours in a confined system, so that the energy used for the entire processing of the fermentation residue is less than 500 British thermal unit (BTU) per pound of dry weight of the initial fermentation residue starting material for producing the synthetic coal and the aqueous liquid solution, and separating the synthetic coal from the aqueous liquid solution, where the synthetic coal has a BTU content of at least 10000 BTUs per pound of dry weight; or heating the fermentation residue in an enclosed container to a temperature of less than 225 degrees C for a period of time of less than four hours at an autogenic pressure, mechanically separating the synthetic coal from the liquid aqueous solution resulting in a synthetic coal having a BTU content of at least 10000 BTUs per pound of dry weight, where the liquid aqueous solution includes potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations sufficient for use as a plant nutrient. An INDEPENDENT claim is included for an apparatus and method for the production of ethanol, the synthetic coal and the aqueous liquid product from the fermentation residue, comprising a combined distillation and HTC container having a variable temperature heater for heating an interior, an ethanol reservoir in fluid communication with the distillation apparatus, and a mechanical separation means in fluid communication with the combined container interior through a third conduit, where the combined container has a first conduit for permitting fluid communication between the interior with a source of a fermented material and a second conduit for permitting fluid communication between a distillation apparatus and its interior, the first conduit has a first valve operable between a fully open and a fully closed position for regulating the fluid connection between the combined container interior and the source of fermented material, the second conduit has a second valve operable between a fully open and a fully closed position for regulating the fluid connection between the combined container interior and the distillation apparatus, the third conduit has a third valve operable between a fully open position and a fully closed position, the variable heater for providing heat sufficient for the heating of the fermentation residue held within the combined container, when the first and third valves are placed in closed positions and the second valve is placed in the open position so that ethanol in the fermented residue is boiled into a gaseous state and enters the distillation apparatus for condensing in it to a liquid state for capture in the ethanol reservoir, after the removal of the ethanol from the fermented material to form a fermentation residue, the heater is operated to heat the fermentation residue, when the first, second and third valves are in closed positions, to a temperature for a duration of time sufficient to produce the synthetic coal and the liquid product, and the third valve operable to permit a flow of the synthetic coal and aqueous liquid solution products to the mechanical separation means for separating the synthetic coal from the aqueous liquid solution.