ribbon cutting

University of Houston opens new hydrocarbon center

UH cut the ribbon on a new hub for hydrocarbon exploration. Photo courtesy of UH

The University of Houston has officially opened the doors of a new hub for hydrocarbon exploration.

UH Energy recently unveiled its UH-DGH Center for Hydrocarbon Exploration, which is a partnership between the University of Houston and the technical arm of India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, or DGH. The collaboration was announced in February.

The center will serve as a data center focused on India’s offshore basins, and its geoscience data to investigate production data and exploration.

"We have been thinking about this for multiple years, about how to get all this fantastic data that is there in the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons of India, use the repository of information that we have got and be able to showcase it to people in the United States where they've got the approach to go in and find oil and gas and other natural resources in ways that are perhaps truly unique and Texan in origin,” says Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorthy, vice president of energy and innovation at UH during the event.

The event featured UH dignitaries, alum, and subject-matter experts like Rob Stewart, professor of geophysics, and David Hume, business development specialist and geoscience specialist, which included in-depth analysis of India basins that focused on geological and geophysical locations, physiographical and tectonic settings, the role of hydrocarbon elements, and other areas of interest.

The center is part of a five-year agreement to help generate reliable information on the energy industry with seismic, well, reservoir and production data being at the forefront.

“UH and India have been able to come together and bring this to reality, for us this is very inspirational,” says Pankaj Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. “We think that we are actually planting a seed for something very, very good because the multiplier effects of this are going to be incredible.”

Strategically located in Houston, which many consider an “energy capital,” Jain is excited for a set of “fresh eyes” to look at the data.

“If you’re here [in Houston], you’re at the nucleus from where everything will evolve,” Jain says to the University of Houston.

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A View From HETI

Cemvita has named a new leader in Brazil. Photo via cemvita.com

Houston industrial biotech company Cemvita has announced two strategic moves to advance its operations in Brazil.

The company, which utilizes synthetic biology to transform carbon emissions into valuable bio-based chemicals, acquired a complementary technology that expands its IP and execution of scale-up capacity, according to a news release. The acquisition will bring additional synthetic biology toolsets that Cemvita believes will assist with compressing and commercializing timelines.

The company also appointed Luciano Zamberlan as vice president of operations based in Brazil.

Zamberlan will lead operational execution, site readiness and early commissioning activities in Brazil. He brings more than 20 years of experience in biotechnology to the role. He recently served as director of engineering at Raízen, Brazil’s largest ethanol producer and the world’s largest producer of sugarcane ethanol. At Raízen, he coordinated the implementation of four greenfield plants and oversaw operational teams and process optimization for second-generation ethanol (E2G) and biogas.

“I am very pleased to join Cemvita, a company at the forefront of transforming waste into valuable, sustainable resources,” Zamberlan said in the release. “My expertise in scaling-up innovation, coupled with my experience in structuring and commissioning greenfield industrial operations, is perfectly aligned with Cemvita's mission and I'm eager to bring my energy and drive to accelerate Cemvita's industrial performance and contribute for a circular future.”

Cemvita expanded to Brazil in January to help capitalize on the country’s progressive regulatory framework, including Brazil’s Fuel of the Future Law, enacted in 2024. The law mandates an increase in the biodiesel content of diesel fuel, starting from 15 percent in March and increasing to 20 percent by 2030. It also requires the adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and for domestic flights to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1 percent starting in 2027, growing to 10 percent reduction by 2037.

“These steps enable us to augment Brazil’s longstanding bioindustrial ecosystem with next-generation capabilities, reducing early commercialization risk and expanding optionality for future product platforms,” Marcio Silva, CTO of Cemvita, said in the news release. “Together, they strengthen our ability to move from proof-of-concept to industrial reality.”

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