Abstract: Disclosed is a method of producing granulated products from a suspension, which comprises in general the steps of spraying the suspension in a suspension spraying zone, introducing a heat-carrier in the form of a spiral flow to a zone disposed beneath the sprying zone, drying the suspension by the heat-carrier concurrently and countercurrently therewith and separating simultaneously fine fractions of the dried material by means of the same flow of the heat-carrier, with drawing a spent portion of the same, treating thermally the granules produced by drying countercurrently with the aforesaid heat-carrier upon their moving downward in a spiral to a temperature sufficient to ensure the desired product properties, withdrawing processed granules from the thermal treatment zone.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of thermal treatment of a carbonate suspension yielding lime and CO.sub.2 -containing gas, such suspensions may be those resulting from a filtration sediment for sugar production, comprising in general the steps of dividing the carbonate suspension into two portions, spray-drying these portions both simultaneously and independently, calcining the material produced after suspension drying, cooling the lime produced after calcination, supplying the gas from the calcination zone for spray-drying the first portion of the suspension, withdrawing carbon dioxide recovery from the spent gas after spray-drying the first portion of the suspension, the calcination being carried out by means of the heat of the heat-carrier required for calcinating the material and spray-drying only the first portion of the suspension.