Bettina K. now knows the route between Salzburg and Linz like the back of her hand. Since June 2024, the young researcher has been working with us in the Slab Business Unit at the Linz site in the technical processes department. Born in Grödig (south of Salzburg), she came to Linz to study physics at Johannes Kepler University. She immediately noticed the subtle differences in dialect, but now she is fully integrated linguistically, says Bettina K. with a wink. She became aware of us right after she completed her studies. Our many sustainable projects particularly appealed to her at the time.
Today, Bettina K.’s work focuses on decarbonization and carbon capture membrane technologies. But she is also involved in projects related to optimizing data analysis and researching future scenarios for our sustainable steel production. She is currently working particularly intensively with Christoph D. [link to portrait?] on the use of membranes in carbon capture. The fundamental goal of the key technology of carbon capture is to separate CO₂ from the process and actively convert it into usable products. Membranes enable continuous CO₂ capture without additional waste by-products. Bettina K. and her colleagues are researching the technology in a pilot plant at the Linz site.
Bettina’s working days are varied – from simulating scenarios on the computer to operating test facilities and meeting with company partners, she does it all. Bettina K. knows that successful research requires openness and a certain amount of perseverance. After all, not every direction taken leads to success – that’s just the nature of the beast. What counts is staying motivated, swimming against the tide sometimes, and constantly coming up with new solution-oriented ideas. “And we certainly won’t run out of creative ideas in research,” says Bettina K. optimistically.
In her private life, Bettina K. is athletic and musical. She enjoys going for a run and has played the guitar for a long time and a little piano. Even though time is sometimes short, she has been singing in a choir in Linz again since September 2025 – mainly pop, but Bettina K. also enjoys many other genres of music.
Die voestalpine ist ein weltweit führender Stahl- und Technologiekonzern mit kombinierter Werkstoff- und Verarbeitungskompetenz. Die global tätige Unternehmensgruppe verfügt über rund 500 Konzerngesellschaften und -standorte in mehr als 50 Ländern auf allen fünf Kontinenten. Sie notiert seit 1995 an der Wiener Börse. Mit ihren Premium-Produkt- und Systemlösungen zählt sie zu den führenden Partnern der Automobil- und Hausgeräteindustrie sowie der Luftfahrt- und Öl- & Gasindustrie und ist darüber hinaus Weltmarktführer bei Bahninfrastruktursystemen, bei Werkzeugstahl und Spezialprofilen. Die voestalpine bekennt sich zu den globalen Klimazielen und verfolgt mit greentec steel einen klaren Plan zur Dekarbonisierung der Stahlproduktion.