Abstract: The abstract is used to process cereals to obtain ethanol. In the apparatus, a limpid phase of a slurry with water and hydrolyzed starch is supplied to a saccharification stage and an output of the saccharification stage is supplied to a fermentation stage to obtain a fermentation product and a wine from the fermentation product is supplied to a distillation stage to obtain ethanol. A stationary screen with a mesh of between 150 and 300 microns is positioned in the apparatus for receiving at an input of the screen, the slurry with water and hydrolyzed starch. The stationary screen has a turbid overscreen outlet and a limpid outlet containing a limpid solution having particles up to 150-300 microns. The limpid outlet is coupled to the saccharification stage so as to supply the limpid solution to the saccharification stage. A vacuum band filter has an inlet coupled to the turbid overscreen outlet from the stationary screen.

Abstract: Ethanol is continuously produced by cooking and acidifying milled cereal to produce a slurry of acidified and liquified product containing non-fermentable dextrins, screening the slurry with a stationary screen at approximately 70.degree.-85.degree. C. to obtain an overscreen phase and a filtered limpid phase, vacuum filtering and mechanically squeezing the overscreen phase to obtain a filtration panel and a turbid filtrate, mixing the turbid filtrate with the slurry of liquefied and acidified product to obtain a mixed slurry having a temperature of approximately 70.degree.-85.degree. C., returning the mixed slurry to the stationary screen, saccharifying and fermenting the limpid phase with yeast to produce ethanol, centrifuging to separate yeast, acidifying and returning the yeast for fermenting and recovering ethanol by distillation. The filtration panel from vacuum filtering and mechanically squeezing may be mechanically squeezed to obtain a second turbid filtrate and a dehydration panel.