Two British men began a roadtrip with a difference this month, as they set off from their home on England’s southern coast in a cargo truck powered by biodiesel made from waste chocolate – their aim is to reach Timbuktu in Mali, and help raise awareness of climate change and bio-fuels along the way.
The 4,500 miles trip is expected to take around three weeks, and once the team reaches the Sahara desert, they will switch from their BioTruck to two converted 4×4 Toyota Land Cruisers, which are carried in the BioTruck.
As well as using a unique bio-fuel, they are also aiming to make the trip the first ever carbon negative driving expedition across the Sahara Desert. To reach this goal, they will use a mix of carbon cutting techniques, including biofuels and carbon offsetting.
As an offset, they intend to deliver a small biodiesel processing unit to a Mali renewable energy charity that specializes in developing enterprise through environmental projects.
The charity will assist local women to use the new Ecotec unit to convert their used cooking oil into biodiesel. It will supplement their housekeeping funds, provide employment for one or two technicians, and produce carbon neutral fuel for local vehicles. In addition, the project will serve as a partial carbon offset for the BioTruck expedition.
The two adventurers are carrying 2,000 liters of biodiesel produced from 4,000 kilos of chocolate mistakes made by a major confectionery company. The final cost of the chocolate-derived biodiesel is 15 pence a liter, or about US$1.16 a gallon.
The team hopes the trip to Timbuktu, a city already feeling the effects of climate change, will make more people realize that ordinary diesel cars can run on biodiesel easily and cheaply, without any adaptations and thereby help to reduce global warming. “If we use biodiesel to get to Timbuktu with a standard engine, there’s no reason why people in the UK can’t use it for their commute or school run,” said Andy Pag – the expedition leader.
