The drying processes are always applied prior to the transportation or utilization of lignite, and result in notable changes in the stabilities of lignite. In this paper, the study on the effects of nitrogen and MTE drying process on the physico-chemical properties and stabilities of Zhaotong lignite was carried out. The briquettes produced by MTE drying in this study were 150 mm in dimension, and so had a much larger particle size than nitrogen-dried samples. Nitrogen adsorption, mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy all suggested that drying was accompanied by the transformation of larger pores into smaller ones. Compared to nitrogen drying, the pore structures could be stabilized by the MTE process. The soluble salts were removed during MTE drying which resulted in the decrease in ash and the concentrations of some of the major metals. The removal of water enhanced the hydrophilicity of nitrogen dried samples, but did not affect the hydrophilicity of MTE dried samples. The moisture holding capacity of MTE dried samples reduced faster than nitrogen dried samples with the decrease of residual moisture content. The moisture readsorption processes of MTE dried samples were strongly inhibited due to the much larger particle size of sample produced by MTE drying than nitrogen drying. The susceptibility to spontaneous combustion, indicated by cross point temperature and self-heating tests, of nitrogen and MTE dried samples increased with the decrease of residual moisture content. The MTE dried samples are more liable to spontaneous combustion than nitrogen dried samples with the same residual moisture and particle size. However, the larger particle size of the MTE product made it more stable with respect to spontaneous combustion and also moisture readsorption. (C) 2018 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.