Numerous coal gasification studies have been found in the literature those employed various kinds of gasifying agents such as steam and carbon dioxide. These studies are featured with wide variations in the parametric conditions and the usage of equipments. Steam is frequently employed as a gasifying agent, however, in several studies carbon dioxide has also been used as a gasifying agent either pure or in combination with other gasifying agents (H2O, O-2, CO, H-2). This paper is a brief review of the coal gasification with CO2 as a diluent. Different factors were studied over the coal gasification with CO2 such as coal rank, pressure, temperature, gas composition, catalyst and the minerals present inside the coal, heating rate, particle size, and diverse reactor types. It also deals with the application of the gas solid models developed in the literature and the combustion and gasification mechanisms for O-2/CO2 streams. Moreover, it reviews the kinetics and the reaction rate equations (Arrhenius and Langmuir-Hinshelwood types) for coal-char gasification both in the reaction kinetic control region (low temperature) and the diffusion control region (high temperature) and at both low and high pressures. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.