Iwnetim Abate

Making chemicals can be an energy-intensive process—reactions that produce useful products like fuels and fertilizer often require super-high temperatures and pressure. Reaching such levels often means burning fossil fuels, which emit carbon pollution that contributes to climate change.

Iwnetim Abate, 32, is working to change that by looking deep under the Earth’s surface. His MIT lab is developing methods to make ammonia, a common chemical, by using heat and pressure underground. He also cofounded a company called Addis Energy to commercialize the research.

Ammonia is a crucial ingredient in fertilizer, and it’s being considered for use as a green fuel, similar to hydrogen, in sectors like long-distance shipping. But today, making ammonia is a dirty process, accounting for between 1% and 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

There’s a growing group of researchers and companies hunting for naturally-occurring hydrogen underground. Rather than joining the hunt, Abate had the idea of using iron-rich rocks below the Earth’s surface and adding water and catalysts to stimulate hydrogen production. Soon, he pivoted to making ammonia, which is easier to transport.

Addis Energy is now searching for a pilot site for testing its ammonia production process in the field. Meanwhile, Abate’s lab continues to investigate the fundamental chemistry behind the reactions. 

With a background in electrochemistry, Abate also leads research on sodium-ion batteries. Much of that work focuses on developing materials that could pack more energy into battery cells while keeping them stable.  

His work with Addis Energy could shift the paradigm of what mining looks like, Abate says. Rather than only extracting valuable elements and critical minerals from the subsurface, it could also mean using what’s down there to produce useful chemicals.