The book tells the story of the coal gasification technology from its early days 230 years ago to the present. Before the end of WWII, gasification had been extensively used to produce both fuel gas and gaseous feedstock from coal. But things have changed when natural gas became readily available, and coal gasification received little attention, especially in recent years when the trend is to move away from fossil energy. 

Compared to conventional coal combustion, gasification-based processes for power production typically result in much lower emissions of pollutants. So, coal gasification technology became relevant again during the transition of energy production to cleaner sources, in an effort to fight climate change. Taking another look at gasification technology to better understand its potential benefits including carbon capture and management and use the process, seems to make sense during the challenging time of the transition of energy production. Professionalsand policy makers in the energy field will benefit from this writing.