In September 2026, a groundbreaking draft bill on geological carbon storage (CCS – Carbon Capture and Storage) was submitted for consultation in Austria. The federal government, comprising the ÖVP and SPÖ, together with the NEOS, has presented a draft of a new Carbon Dioxide Storage Act (KSp-G). This is intended to lift the strict ban on domestic CO₂ storage, which has been in force since 2011, and to establish a legal framework for the geological storage of carbon dioxide.

The Technical University of Leoben is responding promptly to these current developments in energy and industrial policy: with the new Doctoral School CHESS – CCUS & Hydrogen Systems Engineering School, it is bringing together research expertise in the fields of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), hydrogen and the transformation of energy- and emission-intensive industries. “With this new programme, the Technical University of Leoben offers forward-looking and practice-oriented training that specifically prepares students to solve current technological challenges competently and sustainably,” explains Professor Thomas Kienberger from the Chair of Energy Systems Engineering at the Technical University of Leoben.

Around a third of Austria’s greenhouse gas emissions originate in industry. Whilst renewable gases, greater energy efficiency and the electrification of industrial processes represent key levers for decarbonisation, certain emissions cannot be completely avoided. These include, in particular, processes in lime and cement production, conventional steelmaking processes and thermal waste treatment. These sectors are considered particularly difficult to decarbonise – referred to internationally as ‘hard to abate’.

Complementary technological solutions are needed for these emissions: a shift to new manufacturing processes, the capture and utilisation of CO₂ for chemical products (CCU – Carbon Capture and Utilisation) or its permanent storage in geological formations (CCS – Carbon Capture and Storage). The discussion now underway regarding a new legal framework for CO₂ storage underlines the high relevance of the research questions addressed by CHESS.

“The decarbonisation of industry will only succeed if we take a holistic approach to technological development, energy and infrastructure systems, and the responsible use of the geological subsurface. With CHESS, we are creating an interdisciplinary research platform to develop concrete scientific foundations for the transformation of hard-to-abate industries in Austria,” explains Thomas Kienberger.

“The decarbonisation of industry will only succeed if we take a holistic approach to technological development, energy and infrastructure systems, and the responsible use of the geological subsurface. With CHESS, we are creating an interdisciplinary research platform to develop concrete scientific foundations for the transformation of hard-to-abate industries in Austria,” explains Thomas Kienberger.

Taking an integrated view of hydrogen and CCUS

The transformation of industrial processes towards climate neutrality requires a perspective that spans the material, process, technology and system levels. Hydrogen- and CCUS-based transformation pathways each place different demands on industrial plants, energy and transport infrastructures, and potential geological storage sites.

The CHESS Doctoral School is therefore investigating three key questions in particular:

• Energy system and infrastructure: What impact do hydrogen- and CCUS-based transition pathways have on the key ‘hard-to-abate’ industries in Austria? What energy, transport and storage infrastructure is required to achieve this?
• Technology development: How can future technologies developed at the Montanuniversität Leoben best contribute to the decarbonisation of energy- and emission-intensive industries?
• Geological storage: How can storage potential for CO₂ and hydrogen be optimally exploited? And how can long-term interactions and potential conflicts of use with other geo-energy sources be taken into account?

The aim of CHESS is to systematically analyse the complementary roles of hydrogen and CCUS in industrial decarbonisation. This involves bringing together research findings from various disciplines – ranging from the development of new materials and catalysts, through industrial processes, to energy and infrastructure systems, as well as geological storage options.

Five PhD theses, one shared research objective

At the heart of the Doctoral School are five PhD theses that examine different levels of industrial transformation and are closely linked through shared scientific interfaces:

• Energy systems: This research focuses on the integrated planning of hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructures, as well as their interactions with industrial transformation pathways, new technologies and the future energy system. The main focus is on how H₂ and CCUS strategies are changing the demand for energy and transport infrastructure, as well as the structure of the energy system.
• Geological Storage: The research investigates geological storage options for future CO₂ and hydrogen systems. With a view to forward-looking ‘subsurface spatial planning’, the aim is to determine how storage complexes for CO₂, H₂ and other green gases can be developed and coordinated with other uses of the geological subsurface.
• Iron and Steel Metallurgy: This PhD thesis focuses on transformation and decarbonisation technologies for the iron and steel industry. A key focus is on the future role of arc-based technologies in the transformation of steel production, which is difficult to decarbonise.
• Carbon Management in the Chemical Industry – Materials: The focus is on materials-related aspects of carbon management through the conversion of CO₂ and H₂ into synthesis gas. The aim is to increase the efficiency of the reverse water-gas shift reaction (rWGS) by developing new, highly efficient oxide-based catalysts.
• Carbon Management in the Chemical Industry – Process: Here, complete process chains with various downstream applications of the synthesis gas produced by rWGS are investigated. This also includes the experimental testing of the newly developed catalysts in a new high-temperature catalysis plant at Technical University of Leoben.

A key feature of CHESS is the close scientific collaboration between the individual doctoral theses. Data, models and research findings are systematically linked. Findings from the materials and process levels can thus be directly incorporated into the assessment of industrial transformation pathways. At the same time, requirements relating to energy, infrastructure and storage systems are taken into account right from the development stage of new technologies.