Mixed oxides, prepared by calcination at 950 degreesC for 6 h of powder mixtures of manganese and copper oxides, have been studied as regenerable sorbents for hot coal gas desulfurization. For the stabilization of copper in the oxidation states 2+ or 1+ under strong reducing conditions of coal gas, different concentrations of component oxides have been used enhancing the formation of different mixed oxides. Copper was not stabilized by manganese oxides, but its presence in the fresh sorbent was completely necessary because it increases the sorbent reactivity and keeps the HBS concentration in the outlet gas from a reactor below 50 ppmv. Thermogravimetric experiments and performance tests in a fixed bed reactor have allowed the optimization of the operating conditions for a sorbent MC (1:0.1) showing a good performance in multicycle tests without apparent decay.