Economic and environmental requirements for advanced power generating systems demand the removal of corrosive and other sulfurous compounds from hot coal gas. After a brief account of the world energy resources and an overview of clean coal technologies, a review of regenerable metal oxide sorbents for cleaning the hot gas is provided. Zinc oxide, copper oxide, calcium oxide, manganese oxide based as well as supported and mixed metal oxide sorbents are treated. Performance analysis of these sorbents, effects of various parameters on the desulfurization efficiency, kinetics of sulfidation and regeneration reactions, sulfiding and regeneration mechanisms are discussed. Two chapters present recent results in the direct production of elemental sulfur from regeneration or SO2-rich gases.