A method for comminuting and drying lignite

This invention concerns a process for comminuting and drying brown coal (RK) in which the brown coal undergoes at least two steps of comminution (2, 7) and is dried in an indirectly heated fluidized bed dryer (9). At least one comminution step takes place before the fluidized bed drying. The exhaust vapours are then drawn off the fluidized bed dryer via a dust separator (14). To reduce the expense involved in comminution, the exhaust vapors (B) from the fluidized bed drying (9) are used as sifter vapor (4) for a sorting of comminuted brown coal (3) and the fine material from this sorting does not undergo any further comminution.