A truck that runs on biodiesel made from waste chocolate and that I featured during a post on November 15th has left England for Timbuktu in Africa.
This update from the Environment News Service says the trip is designed to raise public awareness about biofuels and their potential to ease the impact of climate change:
Andy Pag of London and John Grimshaw of Poole have nicknamed their big Ford Iveco Cargo truck the BioTruck. It will carry their chocolate biodisel fuel and two smaller vehicles for crossing the Sahara Desert.
Propelled by the unique biodisel, they expect to take about three weeks to drive the 4,500 miles to Timbuktu from London, planning to make it to Timbuktu on December 16.
They aim to encourage UK motorists to fill up on biofuels. “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 Pag.
The BioTruck team is attempting 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 biodeisel processing unit to a Mali renewable energy charity that specializes in developing enterprise through environmental projects.
The group receiving the biofuels processor is Mali-Folkecenter, MFC, which represents the Danish Folkecenter for Renewable Energy.
The team picked Timbuktu, Mali because of the effects climate change has had on the city as it used to be a port on a river. But now, the river has shifted about 10 miles away, leaving Timbuktu even more isolated in the desert. Members are taking a biodiesel processor to Mali, so the Africans have a chance to be energy independent.
Follow the progress of the expedition by clicking here.