In the process of direct coal liquefaction,about 30% of coal liquefaction residues are produced by vacuum distillation. The coal direct liquefaction residues are mainly composed of unseparated heavy oil,unconverted coal,catalysts and other organic and inorganic substances. The development of coal direct liquefaction residues efficient and clean utilization methods are conducive to the rational application of coal resources and the improvement of the integrity and cost of coal liquefaction. This article mainly introduces the composition and structure of coal direct liquefaction residue,and the chemical composition of organic asphaltene,pre-asphaltene,organic macromolecular residue,inorganic ash residue and catalyst in coal direct liquefaction residue are introduced in detail. Through different ways of extraction,high-efficiency extraction and application of coal liquefaction residues can be achieved.The article systemly introduces the contents of coal direct liquefaction residues in gasification hydrogen production,gasification pulping,co-gasification process and gas discharge,etc. The pyrolysis of coal direct liquefaction residues can produce coal tar,and the co-pyrolysis method changes the structure of coal tar and improves the yield of coal tar. The coal direct liquefaction residue as a carbon product can provide a carbon source for it,and the inorganic catalyst in the coal direct liquefaction residue promotes the formation of new carbon materials. The structure of the coal direct liquefaction residue is similar to the structure of natural lake asphalt,and it is a potential asphalt modifier. The modification effect of each component on petroleum asphalt is analyzed by family composition to achieve the modification of petroleum asphalt. Through the compatibility evaluation method,the modification performance of coal direct liquefaction residue is further improved. The application of coal direct liquefaction residue is further prospected. However,a considerable part of the research on the properties and applications of coal direct liquefaction residues is still in the experimental research stage,and there are many problems in the extraction and application stages of coal direct liquefaction residues.