K1-MET is one of the leading international metallurgical competence centres for ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy based in Austria. The cooperation partners are renowned national and international partners and deal with topics such as energy efficiency, circular economy and climate-neutral metal production. Only through cooperative research in these technological areas can resource efficiency and product quality be increased. In addition, the K1-MET GmbH is committed to global climate goals. Topics such as increased use of renewable energy or decarbonisation must remain in focus in order to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve climate goals.
After the extraction of the hydrogen-gas mixture from the abandoned natural gas deposit, the direct use of this mixture without further processing will be tested. A possible area of application is as a reducing agent in iron and steel production. For this purpose, pilot plant trials are being carried out and process simulations are being used to support this.
"One focus of our research is hydrogen-based steel production. Not only does the sustainable production of hydrogen play a role here, but also storage to ensure a continuous supply. Therefore, USS 2030 is of utmost interest for us to test abandoned natural gas deposits as storage for hydrogen."