On March 20, 2019 the eleventh cohort of MSc ETIA students went on a study trip to Linz for visiting Voestalpine Linz. A city within the city of Linz as 800 football fields would fit in the plant´s site.
After an interesting guided tour through „steel world“ with an overview on the process of steel production, the VOEST bus went to the blast furnace to see the procedure of tapping live: hot red iron lava flowing out with 1400 celsius degree. Working conditions next to the spout are quite challenging. Employees have to wear protective clothing and drink lots of water.
The raw materials needed for steel production are mainly transported by rail (500-600 wagons per day) or ship (along the river Danube). On the occasion of a slight lunch with two experts of Voestalpine in the field of water and air quality, students got first hand information, facts and figures and could discuss relevant questions.