General Management

Thomas Buergler

Thomas Buergler

CEO

+43 732 6989 75607

Thomas Buergler is the CEO of K1-MET. He studied metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben and has expertise as a project manager and research leader in Iron and Steel metallurgy and iron and steelmaking processes. He is responsible for environmental and energy aspects and process development in the field of metallurgy and for cooperations in international research and investment projects. Coming from a mechanical engineering and metallurgical education, Thomas is also lector for process technology at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben and for material technology at the Secondary Technical College in Linz.

Johannes Schenk

Johannes Schenk

CSO

+43 3842 402 2281

Johannes Schenk is the CSO of K1-MET. He studied process engineering at Graz University of Technology (PhD degree in 1989). From 1990 to 2008 he was employed at Siemens VAI Metals Technologies (former Voest Alpine Industrieanlagenbau) in the technology field of ironmaking. He had there the positions of general manager and vice president for research and development of new reduction technologies (FINEX®, COREX®, FINMET®). Since 2008 Johannes is full professor at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben at the Chair of Ferrous Metallurgy (Head of Chair). He is member of national and international committees and published as author and co-author numerous papers in journals and conference proceedings. Schenk is is co-inventor of more than 30 patent families.

Gerold Huemer

Gerold Huemer

Authorised Representative

+43 732 6989 75607

Gerold Huemer is the authorised representative of K1-MET. Working for more than 15 years at several financial departments of one of the leading iron and steel processing companies Gerold has gained solid experience in financial management within the branch. Further building on his international contracting experience Gerold stayed for about a year in Texas to support an advanced FDI-Project of his previous employer. Gerold holds a master degree in business economics and a Master of Business Administration from the LIMAK Austrian Business School.

Administration

Silvia Freudenthaler

Silvia Freudenthaler

Secretariat Linz

+43 732 6989 75686

Silvia Freudenthaler is the assistant to the CEO and CFO at the headquarters of K1-MET in Linz. She is responsible for preparing the accounts, organising business trips and assisting with business trip accounting. Silvia is contact person in administrative and organisational matters.

Daniela Kaltenberger

Daniela Kaltenberger

Secretariat Linz

+43 732 6989 75607

Daniela Kaltenberger is the assistant to the CEO and CFO at the headquarters of K1-MET in Linz. Your tasks are the preparation of the bookkeeping, accounting and control of the cost accounting. She also assists with the preparation of supervisory board documents. Daniela is the contact person in administrative and organisational matters.

Carmen Grandl

Carmen Grandl

Secretariat Leoben

+43 664 88 28 82 81

Carmen Grandl is the secretary of the branch office of K1-MET in Leoben. She is responsible for controlling time recording and assists with the organisation of business trips. Carmen is the contact person for administrative and organisational matters.

You can reach her from Monday to Wednesday from 7.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and on Thursday from 7.00 a.m. to 2.30 p.m.

Area management

Johannes Rieger

Johannes Rieger

Area Manager

+43 3842 402 2280

Johannes Rieger leads project activities in Research Area 1 Raw Materials and Recycling (process development, characterization and utilization of raw materials and residuals in iron and steel industry) and 2 Metallurgical Processes (converter, continuous casting, electro slag remelting, copper refining). He studied at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben where his university education is based on process technology with focus on industrial environmental protection. His PhD thesis concentrated on the pollutant formation during thermal Blast Furnace Gas utilization.

Irmela Kofler

Irmela Kofler

Area Manager

+43 732 6989 75627

Irmela Kofler leads projects in Research Area 3 on Low Carbon Energy Systems (Hydrogen based steelmaking, CO2 utilization, energy efficiency). After her technical chemistry degree at the Graz University of Technology with focus on process engineering she did her PhD in synthetic biofuels. Her experience in metallurgical and energy recovery topics she got during developing a new process line for primary converter dedusting, including a heat recovery unit and a filter unit.

Christine Gruber

Christine Gruber

Area Manager

+43 664 88 32 49 11 

Christine Gruber leads projects within Research Area 4 Simulation and Analysis. She studied Technical Physics at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, followed by a PhD at the Free University Berlin. After that, Christine worked for 5 years in the area of gravitation and astrophysics research. Since joining K1-MET in 2019, she has been working with the evaluation and visualization of measurement data from production processes as well as the application of conventional data analysis and machine learning methods to process and image data.

Employees

Saeid Bakhtiari

Saeid Bakhtiari

PhD student in Area 2

+43 316 873 1614

Saeid Bakhtiari is a PhD student at the Graz University of Technology and works in Project 2.3. The focus of his work is on the „Thermomechanical modeling of hot ductility during continuous casting of low alloy steels“. He finished his studies in Material Science and Engineering at the Iran University of Science and Technology, where his final project was on the „Tungsten extraction“. After his studies, he worked in the Iron and Steel industry i.e. DRI for a few years.

Emerson Barros de Souza

Emerson Barros de Souza

PhD student in the COMET Module "FuLIBatteR"

+43 3842 402 2272

Emerson Barros de Souza works as a PhD student in the COMET module "FuLIBatteR", Project 2 (Pyrometallurgical processing of LIBs and black matter) at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. Emerson completed his Master's degree in Materials Science and Engineering in "Computational Fluid Dynamics" (CFD) at the Federal University of Ceará. In his research, he uses CFD to investigate the mechanisms of transport phenomena (energy transfer, mass transfer and phase transformation) responsible for thermal deactivation during the pre-treatment processes of batteries. The aim is to improve the recycling of batteries in order to recover ferrous and non-ferrous alloys, plastics and black mass.

Hadi Barati

Hadi Barati

Postdoc in Area 4

+43 3842 402 3119

Hadi Barati works in Area 4, Project 4.1, on numerical modeling of clogging in the Submerged Entry Nozzle (SEN) in continuous casting. He focuses on development of an Eulerian-Lagrangian model to simulate transport phenomena of non-metallic inclusions in turbulent melt flow, as well as evaluation of the model with laboratory experiments of clogging in an induction furnace.

Stefanie Berghuber

Stefanie Berghuber

Student in Area 2

Stefanie Berghuber studies metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben and is an employee in Area 2. She is supporting a leading steel producing company in the field of research and development, especially the secondary metallurgy.

Markus Boesenhofer

Markus Boesenhofer

Postdoc in Area 4

+43 1 58801 166251

Markus Boesenhofer is Postdoc at the Vienna University of Technology and works in Research Area 4, Project 4.3. He focuses on the development of a CFD model to simulate the raceway zone of blast furnaces and the conversion of alternative reducing agents.

Elizaveta Cheremisina

Elizaveta Cheremisina

Postdoc in Area 2

+43 664 88 32 35 68

Elizaveta Cheremisina works as a researcher in Area 2. After her degree in Nonferrous Metallurgy in 2013 at the State Mining University of Saint-Petersburg (Russia), Elizaveta attended the Montanuniversitaet Leoben where she completed a PhD study in Ferrous Metallurgy in 2016. During her study, she acquired industrial experience in Russia and Germany. Furthermore, she gained knowledge in the fields of slag metallurgy and heterogeneous process kinetics. After completing her work on Project 2.2, Elizaveta is currently working on several industrial projects investigating the formation of hexavalent chromium in steel slags as well as MgO dissolution kinetics, where she has also the function of the project manager.

Daniel David

Daniel David

PhD student in Area 2

Daniel David is employed as a PhD student in research Area 2 in Project 2.6 and has his workplace at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Wels Campus. In his Master's degree in "Materials Science and Production Engineering", he worked on the development of highly basic special slags for the ESU process. Currently, the research focus is on the optimization of ESR slags to reduce energy consumption while maintaining a good cleanliness level.

Michael Derntl

Michael Derntl

Senior Project Manager in Area 3

+43 664 83 64 652

Michael Derntl works as a researcher in Area 3. He studied process engineering at Graz University of Technology with focus on environmental engineering. Michael holds a PhD in the field of sustainable biofuels, exhaust aftertreatment and heat recovery of internal combustion engines. He worked as a researcher for a leading Austrian company in Graz and now he is investigating technologies for the capture and utilization of CO2 from off-gases generated during steel production for K1-MET.

Daniel Ernst

Daniel Ernst

PhD student in Area 3

+43 3842 402 2270

Daniel Ernst, a PhD student at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben, works within Research Area 3 in Project 3.1 and 3.5. After completing his master's degree in metallurgy with a focus on ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, his work at K1-MET GmbH involves research on process optimization of Hydrogen Plasma Smelting Reduction (HPSR) of fine ores at laboratory and demonstration scale.

Paul Estermann

Paul Estermann

PhD student in Area 2

+43 1 58801 30816

Paul Estermann is a PhD student working at the Vienna University of Technology within Project 2.3. To gain a better understanding of the formation of cracks after steel casting, the focus of his thesis will be on e.g. the influence of segregation and dislocations on the ductility at elevated temperatures. Paul finished his Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology. His Master’s thesis dealt with the topic of bio-absorbable magnesium alloys for medical implants.

Manuel Farkas

Manuel Farkas

Project Manager in Area 3

+43 3842 402 2289

Manuel Farkas is Project Manager in Research Area 3. As a student, Manuel was already involved in experiments on hydrogen plasma melt reduction at the Chair of Iron and Steel Metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. His master thesis dealt with thermodynamic simulation for system design of future HPSR plants. He currently works in Project 3.1 and Project 3.5, which deal with the further development of hydrogen plasma fusion reduction on the next larger scale.

Rebeka Frueholz

Rebeka Frueholz

PhD student in Area 3

+43 664 88 33 99 51

Rebeka Frueholz was enrolled in the master program of “Food Chemistry” at the University of Vienna with emphasis on microbiological methodologies applied in the field of toxicology. As a PhD student in Area 3, she assists with the upkeeping and maintenance of bioelectrical systems, in addition to conducting bioleaching experiments. Her research currently focuses on the recycling of metallurgical dusts. Furthermore, she is involved in Project 3 of the COMET Module “FuLIBatteR”.

Johannes Gabl

Johannes Gabl

Postdoc in Area 3

+43 664 88 28 87 51

Johannes Gabl is a researcher in Area 3. He studied material science at ETH Zurich and got his PhD from Johannes Kepler University in Linz. During his doctoral studies, Johannes worked on the project tailormade functional steel (tfs) within the framework of the new business incubator (nbi) by voestalpine. At K1-MET he is currently involved in the Hyfor Smelter project with the goal of ironmaking via hydrogen reduction of high gangue iron ores.

Jeronimo Guarco

Jeronimo Guarco

PhD student in Area 4

+43 3842 402 3211

Jeronimo Guarco is a PhD student at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. He studied Chemical Engineering in Bahia Blanca, Argentina, and during his PhD thesis in Research Area 4 in Project 4.2, he works on CFD modeling of refractory erosion mechanisms and on the development of appropriate mathematical formulations.

Marianne Haberbauer

Marianne Haberbauer

Senior Expert in Area 3

+43 664 88 33 99 50

Marianne Haberbauer is a researcher in Area 3. After completing her studies in food and biotechnology at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, she completed the postgraduate course "Technical Environmental Protection". She has more than 20 years of experience as a project manager of national and international research projects. Her work focuses on recycling technology with special emphasis on metals and CO2. Within K1-MET GmbH, she is also responsible for the project management of a cross-border research project regarding the utilization of secondary raw materials.

Clemens Habermaier

Clemens Habermaier

Student in Area 3

Clemens Habermaier studies at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz the Master’s degree program “Management in Chemical Technologies”. As a student researcher in Area 3, he is responsible for the maintenance of bioelectrochemical systems and the execution of bioleaching experiments.

Monika Haeuselmann

Monika Haeuselmann

Senior Project Manager in Area 1

+43 664 88 32 35 07
monika.haeuselmann[at]k1-met.com

Monika Haeuselmann completed her studies in Industrial Environmental Protection with a focus on process engineering at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. In her Master's thesis, she dealt with the sintering process and the associated emissions. In addition to her current activities, which include the evaluation of research projects on low-carbon steel production, Monika supports the research work in Area 1.

David Haider

David Haider

PhD student in Area 4

+43 732 2468 6710

David Haider is working on his PhD thesis in Project 4.4. During his master studies in physics at the Johannes Kepler University Linz he gained deeper insights into simulation and method development. This knowledge is used in the development process for a new model in fluid dynamics. The model promises a high speed increase in the simulation of granular systems.

Alexander Halwax

Alexander Halwax

PhD student in Area 1

+43 3842 402 2277

Alexander Halwax is working on his PhD thesis in Research Area 1 (Raw Materials and Recycling) in Project 1.1 on the development of a standardized measuring method to determine the diffusion and activity coefficients in slags. He finished his studies on Metallurgy with focus on Iron and Steel Metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. During his studies, he worked for a state-certified engineering consultant for materials science, where he was able to gain experience in the areas of destructive material testing and damage analysis.

Sarah Haneschlaeger

Sarah Haneschlaeger

Student in Area 3

Sarah Haneschlaeger studies “Management in Chemical Technologies“ at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. Her focus is on “Synthesis“ and “Chemical Technology“. As an employee in Area 3, Sarah is responsible for the execution of bioleaching experiments and the maintenance of bioelectrochemical systems in the laboratory.

Christian Hochenleuthner

Christian Hochenleuthner

Student in Area 2

+43 3842 402 3218

Christian is a staff member of Research Area 2. His tasks include the investigation and testing of mould powders and mould slags. Within Project 2.5, he is responsible for the service and maintance of the test facilties and high temperature furnaces, the implementation and analysis of experiments with the hot stage microscope and the determination of the crystallization behaviour of mould slags by using the "Hot Thermocouple Technique".

Vanessa Hoffellner

Vanessa Hoffellner

Student in Area 2

Vanessa Hoffellner studies Material Science and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Wels Campus and is employed as a student assistant in Area 2, Projekt 2.6. At work, she deals with the composition of slags used for ESR-process and their optimization to reduce the energy consumption as well as research for the Arc-slag-remelting-process.

Gerhard Holzinger

Gerhard Holzinger

Postdoc in Area 4

+43 664 88 32 34 15

Gerhard Holzinger is a researcher in Area 4. Among others, his work revolves around the removal of non-metallic inclusions in continuous casting operations. He studied mechatronics at the JKU in Linz and finished his PhD in mechatronics on the topic of implementing a model in OpenFOAM for mineral flotation. Gerhard is familiar with Linux and open source software and in the course of his thesis he gained 4 years of experience in OpenFOAM.

Damir Kahrimanovic

Damir Kahrimanovic

Postdoc in Area 4

+43 664 88 32 35 66 

Damir Kahrimanovic is a researcher in Area 4. He studied Mechatronics and completed his PhD at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. During his ten-year research work on numerical simulations of multiphase flows he gained an extensive experience in the field, with special focus on Lagrangian modelling of particles. In addition to research, Damir currently gives lectures on the Design of process plants at the Mechanical Faculty in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Matthias Kiss

Matthias Kiss

PhD student in Area 4

+43 1 58801 166233

Matthias Kiss is a PhD student in Area 4 and works in Area 4, Project 4.3, at the Vienna University of Technology. This Project focuses on CFD-DEM chemical coupling as well as heat and mass transfer in gas-solid flows. He finished his master's degree in physics at the University of Vienna focusing on computational physics. During his master thesis, he trained a neural network potential for molecular dynamics simulations of CO2 with ab-initio precision.

Maximilian Klopf

Maximilian Klopf

PhD student in Area 2

+43 3842 402 3207

Maximilian Klopf is PhD student at K1-MET within Research Area 2, Project 2.4, with a workplace at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. In the course of his PhD thesis, he deals with the formulation of guidelines for the design of refractory linings. Maximilian graduated at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben in Mineral Resources Engineering with a focus on "building materials and ceramics".

Nina Koepplmayr

Nina Koepplmayr

Senior Project Manager in Area 4

+43 664 88 28 85 96

Nina Koepplmayr studied mining at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. After working over 9 years as European Group Process engineer for the world leader in Mineral-Based Specialties, Nina is now working for K1-MET focused on supporting R&D activities.

Tobias Kronlachner

Tobias Kronlachner

PhD student in Area 4

+43 732 2468 6712

Tobias Kronlachner has a working place at the Johannes Kepler University Linz and is a researcher in Area 4, Project 4.3, in the course of his PhD thesis. The aim of his work is the numerical and experimental investigation of the flowability of metal powders used for powder metallurgy. The focus is on the investigation and modeling of the effect of moisture on the flow behavior of the highly cohesive powder.     

Lalropuia Lalropuia

Lalropuia Lalropuia

PhD student in the COMET Module "FuLIBatteR"

+43 1 47654 97497

Lalropuia Lalropuia is a PhD student at the IFA-Tulln, BOKU university Vienna within the COMET Module "FuLIBatteR", Project 3 (Bio-hydrometallurgical treatment of LIB residues). Lalropuia comes from India and has a Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering. He completed his Master's degree in Advanced Mineral Resource Development at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany and the Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Austria. His Master thesis was on the topic "Effect of Phosphate and Arsenic on Indium recovery during the Bioleaching of Sulphidic concentrate". His research work at K1-MET focuses on the bioleaching of metals from the black mass of spent lithium-ion batteries and on the optimisation and potentially scaling-up of the bioleaching process.

Michael Lammer

Michael Lammer

Student in Area 2

+43 3842 402 2213

Michael Lammer is working in Area 2 in the melting shop at the Chair of Ferrous Metallurgy (Montanuniversitaet Leoben) where he is responsible for the sample analysis and the alloying elements in the course of melting experiments. Michael is studying Metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben.

Julian Laschinger

Julian Laschinger

PhD student in Area 2

+43 50304 15 3161

Julian Laschinger is a PhD student in Area 2 in Project 2.8. He studied metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. In his bachelor thesis and as a student assistant at the Chair of Iron and Steel Metallurgy, he worked on austenite grain growth and carried out experiments on a high-temperature laser scanning confocal microscope. In his master's thesis he dealt with the heat transfer in the mold of a continuous slab caster based on temperature measurements using fiber Bragg gratings.

Anja Lehninger

Anja Lehninger

Administration & Communication

+43 664 62 00 678

Anja Lehninger is responsible for taking minutes at supervisory board meetings and strategy board meetings. Her further tasks are the internet presence and social media marketing of K1-MET.  Anja supports the organization of events and PR activities.

Melanie Leitner

Melanie Leitner

Postdoc in Area 1

+43 664 88 32 03 18

Melanie Leitner supports the Research Area 1 as a postdoc and her field of work deals with the investigation of the application of various secondary raw materials for the iron and steel industry. After completing her studies in "Industrial Environmental Protection" with a specialization in process engineering at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Melanie obtained her PhD in the field of non-ferrous metallurgy, where she focused on the recycling of hard metals as part of her dissertation.

Stefanie Lesiak

Stefanie Lesiak

(maternity leave)

COMET Module Manager FuLIBatteR

+43 664 88 33 99 85

Stefanie Lesiak manages the COMET Module "FuLIBatteR" which started in July 2022. The Module deals with the recovery of critical raw materials from the active material of mechanically treated lithium ion batteries. Further research activities of Stefanie are related to slag properties as well as on the processing of industrial residues for material recovery. The objective of her research is closing the loop of materials with respect to zero-waste based on pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical pathways. After finishing her master’s course in Metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben, she wrote her PhD thesis about tin alloys at the Chair of Non-Ferrous Metallurgy.

Oliver Maier

Oliver Maier

Project Manager in Area 3

+43 664 62 00 596

Oliver Maier is working at K1-MET on processes to reduce CO2 emissions in iron and steel production. He is investigating methods to avoid the use of carbon as a reducing agent and ways to recycle the resulting CO2.
He studied technical physics at the JKU in Linz and wrote his master's thesis on the structuring of surfaces using nanoimprint lithography. Before his studies, he worked at Siemens VAI / Primetals Technologies Austria, where he was responsible for the planning of electrical and automation engineering of plants in the steel industry.

Irmtraud Marschall

Irmtraud Marschall

Senior Project Manager in Area 1 and 2

+43 3842 402 3231

Irmtraud Marschall is a researcher for Project 1.1, Project 1.2 and Project 2.5 and she is the leading project manager for Project 2.5. She studied Ceramics at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. Since 2008, Irmtraud has been working within the COMET K1-MET programme. During this time, she gained experience concerning the investigation and development of mold powders and slags for the continuous casting process of steel. Her PhD thesis focused on the melting process of mold powders. Her current research activities include fundamentals for the generation of alternative mold powders as well as the investigation of slags and refractory materials, especially the tundish lining.

Wolfgang Maurer

Wolfgang Maurer

(maternity leave)

Project Manager in Area 3

+43 7242 241 2048

Wolfgang Maurer works as a project manager in Area 3, Project 3.5. His main responsibility is the modelling and simulation of the production process of hydrogen from renewable energy. Wolfgang finished his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering – Economics at the Graz University of Technology. During this time, he was able to acquire knowledge in modelling hydrogen systems.

Harald Mayrhofer

Harald Mayrhofer

Junior Project Manager in Area 2

+43 3842 402 2284

Harald Mayrhofer is currently studying Metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. Within the Area 2 of K1-MET, he supports lab-scale trials on the dissolution behavior of Calcium and Magnesium oxide carriers in steel melt and steelmaking slags. Harald is significantly involved in the operation of a high-temperature vertical tube furnace at the Chair of Ferrous Metallurgy (Montanuniversitaet Leoben) and co-responsible for preparation and execution of experimental campaigns.

Bernhard Mitas

Bernhard Mitas

PhD student in Area 2

+43 3842 402 2288

Bernhard Mitas is working on his PhD thesis in Research Area 2, Project 2.2, about optimizing converter steelmaking. He concentrates on the investigation and modelling of the decarburisation rate in BOF Converters. He finished his studies on metallurgy with focus on iron and steel metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. During his master’s course, he gained industrial experience during internships in Austria.

Simon Moll

Simon Moll

Student in Area 1

+43 3842 402 5014

Simon Moll is a student researcher and holds a bachelor's degree in metallurgy from the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. He works within Area 1, Project 1.1 in the field of metallurgical electrochemistry and is currently investigating the electrical conductivity of various slag systems.

Christa Mühlegger

Christa Muehlegger

PhD student in Area 3

+43 664 88 28 84 06

Christa Muehlegger is working on her PhD thesis in Area 3 with the focus on simulation based optimization of the energy performance of an integrated steel plant in the flexible software environment of gPROMS©. She finished her Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Vienna. In the course of her Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis she dealt with simulation projects with focus on energy technology. Recently, Christa was working 2,5 years in the development of heat pumps.

Bahareh Najafian Ashrafi

Bahareh Najafian Ashrafi

PhD student in Area 4

+43 732 2468 6479

Bahareh Najafian Ashrafi is employed as a woPhD student in Research Area 4, Project 4.2, working on magnetohydrodynamic actuators in the continuous casting process at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. She finished her Master’s degree in Fluid Mechanics at the Tehran University with focus on the temperature field of a cylindrical slot burner using Mach-Zehnder interferometry.

Thomas Nanz

Thomas Nanz

PhD student in Area 1

+43 1 58801 166278

Thomas Nanz is a PhD student in Area 1 and works at the TU Wien. He finished his Master’s degree in Process Engineering and his Master’s thesis focused on explosion prevention. Within K1-MET, Thomas works on the development of a system for testing the reactivity of alternative reducing agents for ironmaking.

 

Gilbert Neuwirth

Gilbert Neuwirth

Junior Project Manager in Area 3

+43 3842 402 2275

Gilbert Neuwirth works as a technician in Area 3. He is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the test facilities and infrastructure. His activities also include the preparation and execution of experiments.

 

Sabrina Oellinger

Sabrina Oellinger

Graphic Design & Communication

+43 664 88 33 99 13

Sabrina Oellinger works in the field of communication and is responsible for graphic design, the website and social media marketing of K1-MET. Sabrina is the contact person for PR activities and supports the organisation of events and fairs.

Daniel Ogris

Daniel Marian Ogris

PhD student in Area 2

+43 3842 402 2278

Daniel Marian Ogris works as a PhD student in Area 2, Project 2.2. In the course of his PhD thesis, he investigates the modelling of thermodynamics and reaction kinetics of slag systems in the BOF converter. He studied Materials Science and Engineering at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben with the focus on metallic materials. During diverse internships, he obtained insight into the work of different research and developement departments. During his master’s course, he worked as a student assistant at the Chair of Mechanics at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben.

Razieh Parooei

Razieh Parooei

Project Manager in Area 2

+43 664 83 62 913

Razieh Parooei has been working in Area 2 since September 2018. Her research work is mainly focused on introducing correction of secondary metallurgy slag to improve desulfurization condition in liquid steel. Furthermore, she deals with a systematic investigation of the secondary steelmaking slag analysis for various steel grades. Razieh holds a Master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry and has earned experience in the field of secondary metallurgy focusing on ladle furnace treatment through working in a steel factory in Iran.

[Translate to English:] Cameron Quick

Cameron Quick

Postdoc in Area 3

+43 3842 402 2295

Cameron Quick supports Research Area 3 and Project SuS-F with operational optimisation of the HPSR process and the pilot plant in Donawitz. He completed his Master’s degree in Chemical Physics at the University of East Anglia (UK) and received his PhD from the Chair of Non-ferrous Metallurgy, Montanuniversitaet Leoben (AT). His work at the chair focused on Fast Differential Scanning Calorimetry and thermo-kinetic simulations for state-of-the-art thermal analysis on metallic systems.

Nikolaus Rauch

Nikolaus Rauch

Project Manager in Area 3

+43 664 88 33 98 20

Nikolaus Rauch works as a researcher in Area 3. For K1-MET, he is investigating technologies for the capture and utilization of CO2 from off-gases generated during steel production. He did his bachelor’s degree in Environmental System Science / Natural Sciences-Technology and his master’s degree in Advanced Material Science with the focus on Semiconductor Process Engineering and Nanotechnology at Graz University of Technology. In his master’s thesis and during his time as researcher at JKU Linz he dealt with material analysis via electron microscopy.

Helene Rehberger

Helene Rehberger

Student in Area 3

Helene Rehberger studies „Management in Chemical Technology“ at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. She works as a student in Area 3 and in her master’s thesis, she deals with technologies for capture and utilization of CO2 from off-gases generated during steel production for K1-MET.

Wolfgang Reiter

Wolfgang Reiter

PhD student in Area 1

+43 3842 402 5824

Wolfgang Reiter is a PhD student in Area 1, Project 1.5. He finished his Master degree programme in Metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. In the course of his Master’s thesis, Wolfgang investigated possibilities for a reuse of the iron-rich slag from the RecoDust process. His current research work is focused on the further optimization and the operation of the Flash-Reactor pilot plant and the up-scaling of the RecoDust process.

Bettina Rutrecht

Bettina Rutrecht

PhD student in the COMET Module "FuLIBatteR"

+43 3842 402 2274

Bettina Rutrecht is a PhD student within the COMET Module "FuLIBatteR", Project 1 (Waste management and waste technological approaches for LIB recycling). She has a bachelor and master’s degree in Industrial Environmental Protection and Process Technology with special focus on recycling technologies and plant engineering from the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. During this time, she was student researcher at the Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management and worked in the fields of Lithium-ion-batter recycling, waste plast recycling, and sustainability.

Amaia Sasiain Conde

Amaia Sasiain Conde

Project Manager in Area 3

+43 664 88 89 91 21

Amaia Sasiain Conde works as a researcher in Area 3. She studied Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering Bilbao in Spain specializing in Environmental Engineering. Her work within K1-MET is focused on the research for a minimization of CO2 emissions as well as the use of hydrogen as an alternative reducing agent within a steel mill. Amaia will contribute her skills to the EU-project H2Future concentrating on the implementation of hydrogen within an integrated steel plant.

Magdalena Schatzl

Magdalena Schatzl

Senior Expert Digital Transformation

+43 664 883 23 567

Magdalena Schatzl is responsible for the acquisition of projects in the field of digital transformation on national and EU level. She has been with K1-MET since 2016 and is working on topics in the field of digitalisation since then. These are simulations of industrial processes with OpenFoam, the use of machine learning methods on process data as well es the smart visualization of data for better process insight.
Magdalena studied Technical Physics and got her PhD in the field of Nanotechnology from the Johannes Kepler University in Linz.

Lukas Schmidt

Lukas Schmidt

Project Manager in Area 3

+43 664 88 32 48 41

Lukas Schmidt studied Process Engineering at Graz University of Technology. Afterwards, he worked at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Chair of Ferrous Metallurgy, as a research associate in a former K1-MET project on the utilization of ultra-fine ore in a smelting reduction process. His PhD-thesis focused on the reduction of fine iron ore in fluidized bed reactors. Within K1-MET, Lukas works as a project manager in the EU project DESTINY for a development and demonstration of a microwave assisted firing process for cement, ceramic and steel industry. Furthermore, he supports the activities on the hydrogen plasma smelting reduction process development in Area 3, Project 3.1.

Alexander Seebacher

Alexander Seebacher

Junior Project Manager in Area 1 and 2

+43 664 8301499

Alexander Seebacher studied Mechanical Engineering at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. He works as a Technician in Area 1 and Area 2 and is involved in conducting slag dissolution tests and trails with the high-temperature vertical tube furnace. Alexander is part of the team to oversee the hydrogen plasma smelting reduction (HPSR) test facility at voestalpine Stahl Donawitz GmbH and is responsible for maintenance and test preparation.

Anna Sieber

Anna Sieber

PhD student in the COMET Module "FuLIBatteR"

+43 1 47654 97497

Anna Sieber is a PhD student within the COMET module “FuLIBatteR”, Project 3 at the IFA-Tulln, BOKU university Vienna. Her research at K1-MET is focusing on the recovery of metals from the black mass of spent lithium-ion batteries using metal-binding peptides. While completing her master’s degree in Biotechnology at BOKU in Vienna she was working as a scientific assistant at the Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering followed by two years of experience in industrial research.

Zeljka Simicevic

Zeljka Simicevic

Project Manager in Area 1

+43 664 88 46 30 19

Zeljka Simicevic studied metallurgy and has been employed at K1-MET since June 2022. After working as a research assistant at the Wels University of Applied Sciences (research in 3D printers with metal powder) and as metallographer in industry, she supports her team in Area 1 with mineralogical and microscopic analyses.

Samira Soleimani

Samira Soleimani

PhD student in Area 3

+43 3842 402 5005

Samira Soleimani works as a PhD student for K1-MET having her workplace at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. She is working on reforming processes for CO2-reduction in energy intensive industries in Area 3, Project 3.2. She finished her master thesis with reference to developing a novel model for reduction of scale formation in industries. She has 14 years’ experience as an operation engineer in gas plants. This work was mainly concerned with the analysis and optimization of operational problems.

 

Axel Sormann

Axel Sormann

Senior Expert Iron & Steelmaking

+43 664 88 32 24 98

Axel Sormann has more than 30 years of experience in Iron and Steel metallurgy. After studying metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben he recieved his PhD in the field of Smelting Reduction of Iron Oxides by Hydrogen. After 2 years working as an engineer in a steel plant Axel gained 20 years of experience in the R&D, 13 years of it as a head of the metallurgical department. The last years before joining K1-MET, he was responsible for the R&D co-ordination and the Technology Management of a leading iron and steel processing company.

Sabine Spiess

Sabine Spieß

Postdoc in Area 3

+43 664 88 32 21 92

Sabine Spieß worked on her PhD thesis in Area 3 with the focus on metal recovery from secondary raw materials as well as CO2 conversion into methane using bioelectrochemical systems. Sabine has finished her Master’s degree in Bio- and Environmental Technology at the University of Applied Sciences – Upper Austria. Further, she is responsible for the project management of Project 3 (Bio-hydrometallurgical treatment of LIB residues) within the COMET Module "FuLIBatteR".

Clemens Staudinger

Clemens Staudinger

Postdoc in Area 4

+43 664 88 28 89 15

Clemens Staudinger studied Technical Physics at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz and did his PhD in the field of theoretical many-body physics. His work focused on the modelling and simulation of many-body systems. Since May 2022 he is working at K1-MET in Area 4 and supports research and development in a leading steel company.

Senthilathiban Swaminathan

Senthilathiban Swaminathan

PhD student in Area 3

+43 3842 402 5821

Senthilathiban Swaminathan is a PhD student and works at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben in Area 3, Project 3.3. He completed his Master Studies in Computational Science and Engineering at the University of Rostock (Germany). His current work focuses on the development of a nitrogen oxide post processor in OpenFOAM to simulate industrial burners as well as to optimize the energy efficiency and to reduce the emissions from the burners. He is also involved in the development of a numerical model for rotary kilns.

Sophie Thallner

Sophie Thallner

Project Manager in Area 3

+43 664 88 33 99 74

Sophie Thallner is a researcher in Area 3. She studied Biotechnology and Environmental Technology with a focus on Environmental Technology at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria (campus Wels). During her Master’s thesis, she focused on bioleaching of waste fractions and was able to deepen her knowledge in further projects. She is currently involved in the planning and implementation of bioleaching experiments for the recovery of valuable metals from ashes and slag.

Maria Thumfart

Maria Thumfart

Project Manager in Area 4

+43 664 88 28 86 88

Maria Thumfart is a researcher in Area 4. Her work focuses on the development of real-time models of liquid steel flows steel as well as process data evaluation and the development of data-based malfunction detection systems. Her core fields of research are analytical and physical modelling of metallurgical flows combined with image and signal processing.

Stefan Tjaden

Stefan Tjaden

PhD student in Project 3.4

Stefan Tjaden is a PhD student within Area 3, Project 3.4. His work deals with the metallurgical process simulation under usage of gPROMS® for integrated steel plants. Stefan finished his Master’s course in Technical Chemistry with special focus on high performance materials at the Vienna University of Technology.

Bianca Varga

Bianca Varga

Lab Technician in Area 1

+43 664 888 99 142

Bianca Varga works as a lab technician within Area 1 in the technical center of voestalpine Stahl GmbH. She is responsible for experiments at different test rigs in the technical center and conducts sinter tests as well as sieve analyses of various samples. Furthermore, the follow-up processing (experiment analysis and sample storage) are also part of Bianca‘s tasks. Bianca also participates in a project funded by the European Union, which deals with the treatment of steelmaking slag.

Johannes Wachlmayr

Johannes Wachlmayr

Postdoc in Area 4

+43 664 88 28 87 70

Johannes Wachlmayr is researcher in Area 4. He studied guitar at the Anton Bruckner Private University Linz, followed by studies in Technical Physics and Biophysics at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, where he wrote his PhD thesis. Within K1-MET, he is working in the field of data analysis and digitalization.

Johann Winkler

Johann Winkler

PhD student in Area 2

+43 3842 402 2273

Johann Winkler is a PhD student at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben and works at K1-MET in Area 2, Project 2.3. The focus of his work is the investigation of the formation of surface cracks during continuous casting using IMC-B tests, with a focus on trace elements in steel production. In his master's thesis, Johann dealt with fundamental investigations on hot cracking in cast steel alloys. During his studies, Johann worked for the world market leader in the refractory industry, where he gained several years of relevant experience in the field of refractory products.

Klemens Winkler

Klemens Winkler

Postdoc in Area 4

+43 664 88 95 86 81

Klemens Winkler is researcher in Area 4. He studied Technical Physics and got his PhD in the field of Biophysics at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. He worked as product owner in the field of measuring equipment and measuring technology for continuous casting plants at one of the leading companies for plant engineering. Within K1-MET, he is working in the field of data analysis and digitalization.

Thomas Wolfinger

Thomas Wolfinger

PhD student in Area 3

+43 664 83 63 700

Thomas Wolfinger is a PhD student at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben working within Research Area 3, Project 3.6. At K1-MET, his research activities are focused on the development of a hydrogen based direct reduction technology for ultra-fine iron ores. Thomas already worked on that topic during his Master’s thesis and in the course of this, he quantified possible influences on the reduction of ultra-fine iron ore by means of hydrogen. Within Project 3.6, the engineering and operation of a pilot plant will be a part of Thomas work to prove the feasibility of this technology outside laboratory conditions.

Michael Zarl

Michael Zarl

Senior Project Manager in Area 3

+43 3842 402 2276

Michael Zarl is a member of the research area 3. After completing his master's degree in metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Michael wrote his dissertation in the field of iron and steel metallurgy with a focus on the development of a hydrogen-based smelting reduction technology of fine iron ores. He is currently working for the center as technical project manager of projects 3.1 and 3.5. The objective of these projects is to operate and further develop a test facility to prove the feasibility of the hydrogen-based smelting reduction technology outside the laboratory.

Xiaomeng Zhang

Xiaomeng Zhang

PhD student in Area 4

+43 732 2468 6475

Xiaomeng Zhang is a PhD student and works in Research Area 4, Project 4.1. She received her M.Eng. in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) and focused her study on the numerical simulation of the continuous casting process. Within K1-MET, she is further exploring the particle behavior simulation in multiphase flow, under the joint supervision of JKU-PFM and MUL-ESM, especially at the metal-slag interface in the tundish system. A combined consideration of the influence of fluid turbulence and thermodynamic characteristics of particles will be applied.