Subsurface Engineering for Sustainable Energy

Research Group Achievements

Education for a Geologically-Energized Future

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Researchers are looking to geological hydrogen as a clean and cost-effective alternative energy source.

As geological hydrogen use grows, so will the demand for a skilled workforce. To help address this need, The Association of Geological Hydrogen (AGH), a non-profit organization, is negotiating up to $300,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to create an educational framework to foster a new geological hydrogen workforce pipeline in the U.S. Researchers will establish new industry-university-national labs partnerships to facilitate internships, provide career mentorship and coaching opportunities.

Dr. Esuru Rita Okoroafor, a Chevron Faculty Fellow and assistant professor in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, will support this project by developing a textbook, with several chapters dedicated to geological hydrogen. She will also lead efforts in mentorship and coaching sessions focused on exposing students to geological hydrogen. The project also aims to create a certificate program covering the basics of geological hydrogen.

“Ultimately, this project will provide a foundational knowledge that allows someone to apply any skills they have to the field of geological hydrogen,” said Okoroafor. “If someone is a geologist, for instance, but has taken the certificate program, it allows them to apply their geology towards geologic hydrogen. The same can be said for engineering or any other field.”

By introducing an educational framework at the high school level, students will develop field-specific skills in college or trade school and apply them to the geological hydrogen workforce.

“We want students to see geological hydrogen not just as a concept, but as a dynamic and exciting career path,” said Okoroafor. “Building enthusiasm today is what will drive the growth of tomorrow’s geological hydrogen workforce.”

Collaborating with Okoroafor on this project is Dr. Qingwang (Kevin) Yuan, the Lead PI of this project, the president of AGH, and an assistant professor in the Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas Tech University.

This grant is part of the DOE’s Clean Energy Careers for All program, which supports workforce development that promotes STEM education and exposure to clean energy career options. AGH was one of seven non-profit organizations selected to receive funding as part of this initiative.

Research on Geological Hydrogen Receives Funding from U.S. Department of Energy

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Dr. Rita Esuru Okoroafor was selected to receive $1.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to study geologic hydrogen.

The funding is part of ARPA-E’s Exploratory Topics related to geologic hydrogen, which aim to explore early-stage research and development to advance low-cost, low-emissions hydrogen. This is the first time the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering is receiving funding from ARPA-E.

Okoroafor will lead a multi-institutional team, including the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Louisiana State University, in a two-year investigation. She aims to model the best, most efficient methods for producing hydrogen from subsurface ultramafic rocks.

“Low-cost, low-emission hydrogen production could revolutionize the energy landscape,” Okoroafor said. “This research aims to make that vision a reality.”

Biofilms to Barriers: How Microbes Can Shape Hydrogen Storage

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As researchers pursue more efficient and scalable energy-storage solutions, the subsurface is emerging as a promising frontier. From storing next-generation fuels like hydrogen to sequestering carbon emissions, Texas A&M faculty and students are investigating options that could be kept safely underground.

Two independent teams, including researchers from the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering recently received seed funding through Texas A&M’s Targeted Proposal Teams (TPT) program to accelerate their early-stage work. Launched in 2024, TPT supports interdisciplinary projects that address urgent problems in areas such as energy, health and quality of life, food and resource security, and national resilience.

One of the funded projects, “Quantifying the Impact of Biofilm Formation on Underground Hydrogen Storage,” is led by Dr. Rita Esuru Okoroafor from the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering and Dr. Yinou Yao from the Zachary Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

As hydrogen gains traction as a low-carbon energy carrier, storing large volumes safely and recoverably becomes essential and the underground offers a scalable option. Injecting hydrogen into pore spaces underground raises distinctive scientific questions, including containment, contamination, and an often-overlooked biological factor: subsurface microbes.

“Some microbes are known to be capable of consuming hydrogen as food,” Dr. Okoroafor said. When these microbes feed on hydrogen, they can form biofilms that occupy pore space. However, there is no understanding to show if these biofilms keep the hydrogen in place or interferes with storage and recovery. Hence, the motivation of our project. 

Realizing that, depending on where biofilms form, the microbes could play opposite roles, this experimental project uses carefully selected microbes under tightly controlled temperatures and hydrogen injection rates to replicate subsurface conditions.  For instance, biofilms can help to reinforce seal rocks that prevent leakage or clog reservoir rock pores thereby reducing hydrogen injectivity and recoverability. We plan to analyze our experimental results in Fall 2025 to clarify those tradeoffs and guide design strategies for safe, long-term underground hydrogen storage.

Advancing Energy Through Research in Porous Media

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Dr. Rita Esuru Okoroafor is developing new best practices and frameworks that support alternative energy storage technologies through her research in porous media.

Porous media refers to natural or engineered materials, such as rock formations or soil, that contain interconnected pores or void spaces. These pores allow fluids to move through the material. In subsurface engineering, porous media is important in processes like groundwater flow, oil and gas extraction, and other processes such as carbon storage, geothermal energy production, and hydrogen storage.  

For her research and dedication to this field of study, Dr. Rita Esuru Okoroafor, assistant professor and Chevron Corporation Faculty Fellow in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, is the recipient of the Rien van Genuchten Early-Career Award of Porous Media for a Green World.   

According to Okoroafor, she integrates geochemistry, geomechanics, and reservoir engineering with laboratory experiments and advanced simulations to improve understanding of these fluid-rock interactions, enhance hydrogen storage efficiency, optimize geothermal reservoir performance, and improve the long-term security of CO₂ storage. Her research also explores the impact of these subsurface technologies on communities, ensuring there is no short-term or long-term impact on people and society.  

“This synergy between experiments and simulation has equipped me with the ability to understand challenges such as rock alterations, seal integrity, and fluid transport in geothermal systems, hydrogen storage and carbon sequestration, enabling me to make significant strides in advancing subsurface sustainable energy solutions,” said Okoroafor.    

As the honoree, Okoroafor will attend the Interpore Conference, which will allow her to expand and strengthen her research collaborations with global experts and present her findings at the conference. The award will also help her continue discovering best practices, regulatory frameworks and risk mitigation strategies in porous media.    

“Receiving the Rien van Genuchten Early-Career Award is indeed an honor and a validation of the hard work my team and I have put into advancing subsurface energy research,” said Okoroafor. “It is gratifying to have my contributions recognized early in my career, and it reinforces my commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge in porous media science and engineering for a sustainable future.”  

Additionally, Okorafor was recognized as one of the top 10 pioneering women leaders for the future of hydrogen by Women World Magazine, further showcasing her commitment and excellence in sustainable and renewable energy research.  

Her successes have come through collaboration with students and faculty, including her former students Axel Indro, Deena Tayyib, Ahmed Bin Abed, Oluwakemi Olofinnika, Yuezhou Kang, and Aidan Watson, and current students Henry Galvis, Lokesh Kumar Sekar, Touka Elsayed, and Vida Martey-Korley. Okoroafor continues working closely with her colleague, Dr. Hamidreza Samouei, from the Department of Petroleum Engineering. Okoroafor has also received support for her research from the following: Texas A&M’s Energy Institute under the leadership of Dr. Efstratios Pistikopoulos; WD Von Gonten Labs; and Dr. Raymundo Case of the National Corrosion and Materials Reliability Lab.