How the Competence Center CHASE is Enabling the Chemical Industry to Become More Sustainable
- Competence Center CHASE
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
CHASE stands for Chemical Systems Engineering. Since its founding in autumn 2019, the company has been working to make production processes in the chemical process industry more sustainable, energy-efficient, resource-saving, and cost-effective. CHASE combines scientific expertise with industrial practice and applies innovative technologies—from process digitalization to AI.
This article is based on responses from CHASE CEO Patrick Pammer on current industry topics. It shows how research results are directly applied in practice, the challenges the industry currently faces, and the advantages Austria and Upper Austria offer as a location.
Our Mission: Efficient and Sustainable Production Processes
Patrick Pammer: “Our job is to make chemical production more sustainable, energy-efficient, resource-saving, and cost-effective, while meeting all current and future regulatory requirements. By linking competencies from science and industry, we develop a deep technical understanding of critical process steps or entire process chains. This is the only way to close loops within companies or across value chains.”
CHASE has applied this approach in over 100 industrial research collaborations, improving existing production processes or enabling new ones. Innovative technologies such as AI have been introduced to these sectors for the first time. Currently, CHASE is building a new research facility at the JKU campus, supported by the state of Upper Austria, which will serve as an innovation hub for a sustainable and digitalized process industry.
From Research to Practical Impact
“Basic research conducted at the participating universities forms our foundation. In result-oriented research collaborations, we make this knowledge base usable for industry. Through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary partnerships with renowned universities, successful companies, engaged stakeholders, and a community of researchers and managers, we primarily support companies in the chemical, petrochemical, gas, pharmaceutical, plastics, and pulp sectors to produce everyday products more efficiently and environmentally responsibly.”
Challenges and Opportunities in the Chemical Industry
“The situation in the chemical industry is difficult—not only in Upper Austria, but across Europe. We face much too high energy prices, rapidly rising costs for emissions, and massive pressure from non-European competitors, whether through tariffs or state-subsidized dumping prices. Over the past two years, Europe has lost over one hundred production sites—that’s 25 million tons of production capacity. Chemical products are essential building blocks for many other products. Without a chemical industry, we cannot operate hospitals, feed people, or defend ourselves.”
Why Austria and Upper Austria is an Ideal Location
“Austria and Upper Austria is an excellent industrial location. There is a deep understanding of what industry is, what it can achieve for society, and how it must compete. The region has a complete innovation ecosystem: excellent universities and universities of applied sciences, and companies that are global innovation leaders in their sectors. This enables effective industrial research with highly competent partners and rapid implementation of results along value chains.”
Making Research Tangible: Practical Examples
CHASE focuses on applied research that delivers measurable benefits:
Digitalization of processes for recycling plastic waste into high-quality applications, e.g., closing packaging loops in the food industry.
Development of sustainable lightweight components, such as airfoil blades, which save weight and CO2 emissions in flight operations and are fully recyclable.
Simulation of reactor processes in the food industry, e.g., embedding fruit pieces in yogurt with the right texture for regional markets while maintaining consistent quality and cost efficiency.
New robust processes for industrial CO2 utilization, e.g., conversion to methanol as a chemical building block and potential e-fuels.
Current Key Research Focus Areas
CHASE focuses on three key research areas:
Process Digitalization for Polymer Production: Optimizing, monitoring, and controlling industrial polymer processes, particularly thermoplastic composites.
Process Intensification for Industrial Production: Combining laser-based Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) with open-source CFD simulations to increase throughput, energy efficiency, and process flexibility.
Circular Processes for Sustainable Production: Transforming data from experiments, production, use, and recycling into actionable knowledge to enable circular process flows and support informed decisions in complex industrial systems.
Making Industrial Processes Climate-Friendly
“All research at CHASE is aimed at making industrial processes measurably more climate-friendly. The goal is always to save resources, energy, and ultimately emissions—whether in chemical production or in the multiple reuse of materials.”
Attracting Global Talent
“We always look first in the region, but we now also need to recruit highly skilled people globally.” CHASE is not only a competence center for research and industry but also an attractive pool for young talent.
Learn More
Discover more about CHASE’s work, current research projects, and collaborations at www.chasecenter.at ↗ You can also read the related article in the Upper Austrian Newspaper OÖ Nachrichten ↗ or see the PDF ↗.
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