Coal gasification offers one of the most versatile and cleanest ways to convert the energy content of coal into electricity, hydrogen, and other energy forms.

Coal gasification allows the U.S. to more effectively exploit its enormous, inexpensive coal reserves. The process assists lower environmental-impact power generation and is quickly becoming a viable alternative to traditional generation methods.

The first pioneering coal gasification electric power plants are now operating commercially in the United States and in other nations, and many experts predict that coal gasification will be at the heart of the clean coal technology plants for several decades into the future. For example, an advanced coal gasifier will be at the core of the U.S. Department of Energy's FutureGen power plant.

Rather than burning coal directly, gasification breaks down coal - or virtually any carbon-based feedstock - into its basic chemical constituents. In a modern gasifier, coal is typically exposed to hot steam and carefully controlled amounts of air or oxygen under high temperatures and pressures. Under these conditions, carbon molecules in coal break apart, setting into motion chemical reactions that typically produce a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and other gaseous compounds.

The process of coal gasification offers many advantages over the traditional coal combustion technology in terms of reduced emissions, thermal efficiency, and the ability to generate hydrogen or other high-value fuels or chemicals. In addition, coal gasification plants do not produce any scrubber sludge that needs careful and costly disposal. Another advantage of coal gasification is that coal ash from gasifiers is not hazardous and its leaching effect is low.