The YOUNG EPCON AWARD 2024 was awarded to an innovative young project at the Montanuniversität Leoben.
It is time for cement manufacturers to address this, and those who address this could be leading the way
Severin Sendlhofer
Vienna (OTS) – On April 17, 2024, the YOUNG EPCON AWARD 2024 was presented by imh GmbH as part of the EPCON energy congress in Vienna. A concept from the Montanuniversität Leoben, in which fossil CO2 emissions are converted into methane, which in turn is a versatile energy source, was successful among the expert jury and event audience. The students Anna-Lena Krabichler-Mark and Severin Sendlhofer are the lucky winners.
From greenhouse gas to energy source
The cement industry is the world’s third largest cause of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. With the concept further developed at the Montanuniversität Leoben, fossil CO2 emissions are converted into methane, a versatile energy source.
This synthetic methane offers the possibility of being reused in the process, and it can also be fed into the existing natural gas network and thus replaces fossil methane. The project by Severin Sendlhofer and Anna-Lena Krabichler-Mark provides comprehensive process simulation including cost calculation and component size determination. In addition, an LCA of the entire system was created to compare ecological and economic aspects.
“It’s time for cement manufacturers to address this, and those who address this could lead the way.”
so Severin Sendlhofer.
Presentation of the award as part of the established energy congress EPCON
Amid exciting keynotes and captivating discussions, the coveted prize was awarded to young talents for the fourth time. It is important for the conference provider imh GmbH and the award supporter Energie Steiermark to show that the future of the energy industry also lies in the hands of talented and passionate young people. The competition was tougher and more exciting than ever before, but only the best managed to secure a place in the final. In order to receive this award, the projects had to pass careful scrutiny by a competent jury of experts. Johannes Kathan (AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH), Karina Knaus (Austrian Energy Agency), Martin Moser (ed-energiedigital), Gerd Schauer (FH Technikum Wien) and Manfred Hämmerle (imh GmbH) selected the three finalist teams were ultimately able to inspire the broad specialist audience with their presentation.
The other final projects
The team from i:HTL Radkersburg (Cedric Streitberger and Manuel Weidinger) took second place with their project “Model predictive optimization of heat pumps” and the group from HTL Rennweg (Maria Johanna Lamprecht, Mathias Schidlo and Maximilian Victor) was able to win with “IBG – “The innovative biogas plant for the garden” took third place.
Der YOUNG EPCON AWARD
Young talent projects from students, schoolchildren and apprentices in the field of energy and sustainability could be submitted until March 25, 2024. The expert jury selected the three most promising from the numerous submissions. The evaluation criteria for the award were sustainability, innovative strength, industry relevance and feasibility. These were presented by the submitters to the interested audience of Austria’s largest energy congress. The best project was chosen via live voting by the on-site auditorium. The YOUNG EPCON AWARD offers a unique opportunity for exchange between young talent and the energy industry. imh has been awarding this prize since 2018 in order to make a contribution to achieving climate goals. This year the award was once again supported by the partner Energie Steiermark, representing Martin Graf.
About Congress
The EPCON energy congress has been the meeting place for the Austrian energy industry for 29 years now. The most burning questions in the energy industry are discussed on a daily basis. This year, over 250 participants attended a top-class opening plenary session and deepened their knowledge in the four specialist conferences on innovative business models, energy law, infrastructure and digitalization.
Questions & Contact:
IMH GMBH
Karin Grünauer
Marketing Director
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karin.gruenauer@imh.at
www.imh.at