Process for drying a water-containing fuel in direct contact with a hot granular solid residue

A process for treating a water-containing fuel, comprising the steps of:

• (a) feeding the fuel after drying to a dried fuel together with a cooled residue to a reactor for at least partial combustion, gasification or carbonization therein to produce a hot solid residue;
• (b) recovering from said reactor said hot solid residue at a temperature in a range of 500.degree. C. to 1200.degree. C.;
• (c) mixing said hot solid residue at said temperature in a range of 500.degree. C. to 1200.degree. C. with said water-containing fuel in a receiving region of a mechanical mixer and mixing said hot solid residue with said water-containing fuel in absence of any fluidizing gas in said receiving region to form a mixture, transporting said mixture mechanically with further mixing through a mixing section of a length of 1 to 10 meters to an outlet while driving water from said mixture, and recovering a substantially water-free fuel-containing mixture at a temperature in a range of above 100.degree. C. to 150.degree. C. from said outlet;
• and
• (d) feeding said substantially water-free fuel-containing mixture at a temperature in a range of above 100.degree. C. to 150.degree. C. to said reactor as dried fuel and cooled residue of step (a).