After 2016 - 2018, K1-MET participated in the Hannover Messe for the fourth time at a joint stand organized by the Upper Austrian Research (UAR) whereas K1-MET showed the metallurgical research competences in the fields resources and recycling, optimization of high-temperature processes, modelling and simulation as well as regarding hydrogen-based steel production. More than 5,000 exhibitors were present and 215,000 people visited the Hannover Messe this year.

Dr. Bernhard König and Dr. Johannes Rieger showed the research activities of the Research Area Raw Materials and Recycling by means of different raw materials for metallurgical processes such as iron ore and coke. Beside this, untreated steel mill dust (residue from the process gas cleaning) and separated products (valuable metals zinc and iron) were shown. A further utilization of these metals is currently investigated.
The centerpiece of the K1-MET stand was a model, which showed generation, storage and utilization of hydrogen within a future decarbonised steel production. The model contained two PEM cell types (PEM = Proton Exchange Membrane) and illustrated research projects as show cases to demonstrate the conversion of renewable excess energy into hydrogen and its subsequent utilization. One PEM cell worked as electrolyzer to produce H₂ from electrical energy (extraction from the European flagship project H2FUTURE), the second PEM cell worked as fuel cell for an inverse transformation of H₂ into electrical energy.