Aaron Fitzgerald’s journey into climate action began his freshman year of college. He participated in an alternative spring break program in New Orleans about a year after Hurricane Katrina, the catastrophic Category 5 hurricane that flooded 80% of the city and surrounding areas and resulted in over 1,390 deaths. The trip was a wake-up call for Aaron about the devastating impact of climate change—and it changed the course of his career.
Fast forward to today, Aaron is now the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Mars Materials (Mars) a company commercializing nitrilation, a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)-developed process technology that transforms captured CO2, water, renewable electricity and low-carbon ammonia into acrylonitrile (AN)—the main building block in carbon fiber. Aaron and his Co-Founder and CTO, Kristian Gubsch, are in Cohort 2 of the Breakthrough Energy Fellows (BEF) program, which is designed to accelerate nascent climate technologies towards commercialization. They entered the program in September of 2022 after successfully raising an oversubscribed pre-seed round and producing initial gram samples of their innovative compounds.
When asked about the impact that BEF has had on Mars, Kristian said, “The BEF program is top-notch and we’re incredibly proud to be part of the community.” He continued, “In just 18 months, our team designed, fabricated and commissioned our kilogram scale pilot plant. This technological feat typically takes 5 years in industry. BEF fueled this rapid execution with its readily available resources, enabling us to attract top talent, procure equipment, and secure a customized lab space. The relationships we’ve built with Breakthrough Energy’s network—including the Business Fellows, peer BEF companies and BE mentors—ensure we will continue to chart the best pathway forward.”
Mars is at the forefront of an innovative approach to combating climate change – converting CO2 into valuable materials. By transforming captured CO2 emissions into the compounds used to produce affordable, low-carbon materials for industrial use— Mars has reimagined a process that typically relies heavily on fossil fuels. Changing how we create and use advanced materials such as carbon fiber can turn formerly carbon-intensive materials into carbon sinks. Carbon fiber is also a material that can be used to replace steel and aluminum in applications such as transmission lines and hydrogen storage/transportation, which can drive additional industrial decarbonization at the gigaton scale.
The Mars team has made significant progress toward this goal during its time in the Fellows program. It has completed its exclusive licensing deal with NREL, started up its pilot plant, and demonstrated that its AN is a drop-in replacement with prospective beachhead customers. The team has grown from three to eight, including expanding its engineering team.
Being part of the Breakthrough Energy network has also enabled Mars to leverage partnerships such as Northwestern University, Black & Veatch, and Shell, which will be critical for meeting its goals and timelines for a capital-intensive endeavor. Aaron expressed particular enthusiasm about Mars’ Shell collaboration, where Shell serves as Mars’ landlord for its pilot plant operations at the Shell Technology Center in Houston, Texas (STCH). In regards to the partnership, Aaron said, “Our Shell partnership has been fantastic. As an STCH tenant, we’ve been able to incorporate Shell’s safety program in our own safety infrastructure and leverage its logistics and procurement capabilities to ship and receive hazardous materials and save costs on key process inputs.” In March 2024, Mars opened its pilot facility at STCH and hosted Breakthrough Energy’s founder, Bill Gates, for a tour.
When asked what sets Mars apart, Aaron said, “Mars Materials is committed to building an inclusive community of passionate and diligent experts, including new college graduates, single parents, grandparents, and seasoned technology professionals. I believe our ability to continue our rapid scale up comes from our commitment to this mission.”
