Abstract: A method of recovering high-grade, preferably sulphur-free fuel from a bituminous or pyrobituminous mineral-fuel material, such as coal, oil shale and alum shale, wherein the raw material is finely divided into a sufficiently fine particle size for freeing the major part of bituminous or pyrobituminous raw material particles from ash-forming mineral particles, and in that the finely divided raw material is separated into a high-grade, preferably sulphur-poor, fuel concentrate which is utilized, a sulphur-containing mixture of bituminous or pyrobituminous material and ash-forming mineral and a residual product comprising mainly ash-forming mineral, and wherein a binder is produced from the sulphur-containing mixture by combusting the mixture while using its own fuel content and whereafter the binder is added to the residual product so as to hydraulically bind the product to a durable agglomerate form.