Process For Upgrading Low Rank Carbonaceous Material

A process for upgrading brown coal having a first water content including:

• subjecting the brown coal to a conditioning step which includes heating the brown coal to a first temperature in excess of 40° C. and to impart energy into the brown coal to produce a conditioned brown coal having a second water content between 45 and 55 wt % which is lower than the first water content;
• attritioning the conditioned brown coal to enable water to be released from the microstructure of the brown coal and thereby producing an admixture of the brown coal and released water;
• forming aggregates of the admixture;
• drying the aggregates to produce upgraded brown coal having a third water content which is lower than the second water content.