The key features of Professor Paul Younger’s work on Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) linked to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) are summarised, with particular reference to his work on protecting potable water aquifers from contamination by the by-products of in-situ gasification and on his development of a technical basis for secure storage of captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) in UCG cavities. A review of recent developments in the UCG field is presented, noting that the scale and international reach of demonstration projects has diminished over the intervening years and that the locus of research activity has moved to China and other Asian countries in which coal use continues at high levels. The importance in a climate-constrained world of a robust method of capturing and storing the CO₂ produced by UCG activity is highlighted. Developments in CCS linked to the UCG process itself are reviewed and a brief summary is provided of the present state of CCS technology more generally.

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG), Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), coal, gasification, carbon dioxide (CO₂)