Hannes Konegger

Hannes Konegger is a researcher at the Institute of Waste Management and Circularity, part of the Department of Landscape, Water and Infrastructure at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). His work focuses on environmental biotechnology applications for waste management and resource recovery, with particular expertise in microbial processes related to hydrogen methanation and biogas production.

His research interests center on developing innovative solutions for closing natural and anthropogenic cycles through low-emission treatment of waste materials. Konegger's work specifically addresses subsurface hydrogen storage and methanation processes, microbial communities in waste treatment systems, and bioremediation technologies for contaminated environments. His research bridges environmental engineering with microbial biotechnology to create sustainable waste management solutions that align with circular economy principles.

Konegger's recent publications demonstrate a clear research trajectory in subsurface energy storage and microbial conversion processes. His work examines how microbial communities can transform hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane within geological formations, investigates methods to enhance gas fermentation efficiency through targeted bioaugmentation, and explores enzymatic approaches for soil remediation. These studies collectively contribute to the development of sustainable technologies for energy storage and waste valorization.

• Supervised Master's theses on biological methanation processes in underground gas reservoirs (Waldmann N., 2023)
• Supervised Master's thesis on influence of steel mill gas on microbial methanogenic systems (Neuhauser, Eva, 2023)
• Principal investigator for projects including 'Sequencing of hydrogenotrophic, anaerobic bacteria and archaeal taxa' (2023-2024) and 'Isolation of selected organisms from methanogenic communities' (2021-2022)