A method for simultaneously drying and carbonating a mineral waste material that includes carbonatable calcium and/or magnesium compounds and/or silicate, aluminate or silicate-aluminate phases in a spray dryer, wherein a starting material slurry is provided including the mineral waste material in the form of particles with a D90500 m and at least 30 wt.-% water, a hot gas is provided including at least 4 Vol.-% CO.sub.2 and fed into the spray dryer, the starting material slurry is sprayed into the hot gas in the spray dryer wherein a temperature of 100 C. and a relative humidity of <50% are adjusted in the spray dryer, the starting material slurry is transformed into evaporated water and a dry, carbonated product comprising calcium carbonate and/or one of silica gel or alumina gel or silica-alumina gel, and the dry, carbonated product is separated from the gas and evaporated water.