Hydrogen research infrastructure in Styria is to be further expanded
Strengthening cutting-edge research on hydrogen through new investments at TU Graz and Montanuniversität Leoben.
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“Plastik – Fluch und Segen”
Es ist überall und das wirkt sich aus! Es erleichtert unseren Alltag und wirkt sich auch auf unsere Umwelt und Gesundheit aus. Wir beschäftigen uns oft damit, wie wir Kunststoff wieder loswerden, aber in diesem Podcast möchten Kathi, Marlies und Zileka, – Schülerinnen der Praxismittelschule der PHStmk – , wissen, wie wird Kunststoff eigentlich hergestellt? Und was hat es mit dem viel umstrittenen Willow Project auf sich? Dazu haben Sie einen Gast von der Montanuniversität Leoben, Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Phys. Dr.rer.nat. Holger Ott eingeladen.
The Austrian federal government has promoted the expansion of hydrogen technology as one of the measures for a climate-neutral Austria in its government program. Austria is to become the number one hydrogen nation. Accordingly, increased investment is also being made in the Austrian hydrogen research infrastructure.
Styria is the number one research region
Styria not only has one of the highest R&D rates in Europe, but is also one of Austria's most active research regions in the field of hydrogen. It is one of the top 5 regions in Europe with the highest research intensity in the field of hydrogen. 60 percent of Austria's hydrogen researchers work in the green market. The white-green top-level research in this field is now being significantly strengthened at Graz University of Technology and the University of Leoben.
An additional 17 million euros for Styrian hydrogen research
The University of Technology in Graz (TU Graz) and the Montanuniversität Leoben (MUL) have been provided with additional funding for hydrogen research in a supplement to the performance agreements. This amounts to a total of 17 million euros in fresh money. TU Graz will receive 10 million euros and MUL 7 million euros as a one-off payment for infrastructure investments.
"As the federal government, we have set ourselves the goal of a climate-neutral Austria and hydrogen is an important tool as an alternative energy source. We are therefore investing in a sustainable future with additional funds for hydrogen research. Our top research region of Styria is already one of the most active in the field of hydrogen research. With a supplement to the performance agreements, we are strengthening the location even further and investing an additional 17 million in hydrogen research at Graz University of Technology and the University of Leoben," says Education, Science and Research Minister Martin Polaschek.
Governor Christopher Drexler: "Styria is a state of research and development. My goal is for us to be at the forefront of Europe in as many areas as possible and to further expand our leading positions - for example in hydrogen research. Because only by being open to technology will we succeed on the path to CO2 neutrality. The investments made by the Ministry of Science in the infrastructure of Graz University of Technology and the University of Leoben are a significant contribution to making even better use of the potential of our Styrian universities in this important field of research. In this way, we can succeed in becoming a model region that combines climate protection with economic dynamism."
"Research, development and innovation are the basis for successfully mastering the green transformation. Hydrogen-based technologies in particular offer a wide range of opportunities here. Local universities, research centers and companies are working on numerous projects to continuously improve and expand the possible uses of hydrogen. The possible expansion of the research infrastructure with the support of the federal government will further strengthen our position as a model region in this area," said Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, State Minister for Economic Affairs and Science.
"The TU Graz campus is Austria's largest center for hydrogen research and covers the entire value chain of the renewable hydrogen economy, from production to storage and distribution to application. The further infrastructure investments now possible at TU Graz will significantly accelerate research projects and the market implementation of these new technologies," says the Rector of TU Graz, Harald Kainz.
"We must meet the enormous challenges, especially in the areas of climate and environmental protection as well as resource security and sustainability, with concrete solutions, and that is why Montanuniversität Leoben has already been developing promising, forward-looking water and carbon technologies since 2020 as part of a cooperation agreement with renowned industrial partners, which will make it possible to obtain water and carbon CO2-neutrally from a single source," explains the Rector of Montanuniversität Leoben, Wilfried Eichlseder. "The funding commitment granted today enables us to prioritize this topic and work on rapid implementation options."
Hydrogen research at TU Graz
TU Graz has been conducting successful research in the fields of electrochemistry and hydrogen for more than 50 years. The appointment of Karl Kordesch, a pioneer in energy research, who caused a sensation back in 1970 with a hydrogen car of his own design, was very important.
Today, the TU Graz Campus is not only Austria's largest center of hydrogen research by far, with 160 people working in hydrogen research and a unique laboratory and research infrastructure, but is also one of the top 5 hydrogen regions in Europe.
Hydrogen research at the MU Leoben
The provision of CO2-neutral or CO2-minimized energy and its efficient, sustainable storage, as well as the recycling and use of natural resources and waste, is seen as a central contribution to the necessary change towards a sustainable and environmentally friendly society. Montanuniversität Leoben has committed itself to this objective in its 2030+ development plan and sees the topic of clean, affordable hydrogen in industrially relevant quantities as one of the key areas for achieving the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
This starting point prompted the University of Leoben to build on its expertise to establish the research and innovation cluster "HY-CARE" - Hydrogen and Carbon Research Center Austria, in which the University of Leoben coordinates and bundles those activities that are dedicated to the production, storage and industrial use of CO2-negative or CO2-neutral hydrogen and the utilization of high-quality carbon. In addition, the hydrogen activities also include research questions on the interaction of hydrogen and materials.
In this way, Montanuniversität Leoben is accelerating and focusing its activities for an energy transition in Austria and Europe and at the same time contributing to an innovation boost for Austrian industry. At the same time, this strengthens regional value creation and reduces dependence on imports of energy and raw materials.
Many of the above-mentioned activities are carried out in cooperation with several departments and chairs and build on Montanuniversität's many years of expertise in the fields of high-temperature processes, process engineering, geology, materials research and the functionalization of materials.
Currently, more than 20 dissertations in the above-mentioned areas are being financed from the Montanuniversität's own funds in the period 2021-2024, as well as from projects within the framework of Horizon Europe (Climate-Energy-Mobility) and domestic fund tenders. In total, around 100 people at the University of Leoben are currently working on research and development issues relating to hydrogen production, storage and use.
The special funds made available by the Ministry of Science for hydrogen research at the MU Leoben are being invested in the up-scaling of current hydrogen research work in order to bring innovative processes into industrial application more quickly.
With the HY-CARE Center, Montanuniversität Leoben is also opening up completely new areas of research, on the one hand with regard to the development of sustainable resources for CO2-reduced building materials and agriculture, and on the other hand with regard to the production of carbon for high-tech applications. A particularly attractive example of this is hydrogen storage in nanoporous carbon bodies as an opportunity for the use of hydrogen in the field of mobility.
