On 10 July, the starting gun for the Mongolia Charity Rally will
be fired in London, from where the race will take the participants
all the way to Ulan Bator in Mongolia. The only Dutch team to take
part will be driving under the name of Momentum from
Waste. The two team members, Justin Dorneanu and Avinash
Narayanaswamy, are both students at University of Twente. Just like
all the other participants, the pair will not be relying on
conventional fuel. While on the road, they will be producing their
own biodiesel from used cooking oil.
The Mongolia Charity Rally (not to be confused with the
'Mongolia Rally', a separate event) is a race from London to Ulan
Bator in Mongolia. But it's not a race in the usual sense of the
word, where the fastest participant is the winner. This race is
actually all about the adventure and the experiences which the
competitors will have while they are on the road, says Dorneanu.
"For us it's more of an adventure, so we haven't actually chosen
the fastest route. We have mapped out a challenging route of 17,000
kilometres. From Prague, we are going to drive north until we reach
the Arctic Circle." After that, the route will take them via St
Petersburg, Moscow, the Urals, Kazakhstan, Lake Baikal, the steppes
of Northern Mongolia and finally to Ulan Bator.
Cooking oil
The route is not the toughest aspect of the rally, however. The
fuel will represent a bigger challenge. Dorneanu and Narayanaswamy
will power their vehicle with biodiesel which they will produce
en route from cooking oil. They will distil the cooking
oil using a reactor which Narayanaswamy, who recently finished his
Master's degree programme in Sustainable Energy Technology
at Twente, has developed himself. The rally drivers will collect
used cooking oil from cafés and restaurants along their route,
which they will convert to biodiesel using a chemical process.
Methanol
But it's not obtaining the cooking oil that will be the limiting
factor during the rally, says Dorneanu, but actually the methanol
which they need to turn it into diesel. "Methanol is toxic and you
can't just pick it up anywhere. We will have to approach
universities with a chemistry faculty to get hold of the methanol
while we're driving. That's why it's going to be really useful to
be driving under the flag of the University of Twente, and to have
the benefit of all their connections."
Good cause
It's not only about 'the adventure', however. The pair will also
be raising money for a good cause. They'll be aiming to collect as
much money as possible from sponsors. They will also sell their
vehicle and any left-over materials in Mongolia. The money they
raise will be donated to Save the Children and Solid
Care for Sustainable Development. Save the Children
helps children in over 110 countries all around the world,
including Mongolia. Solid Care for Sustainable Development
is a Dutch charity which helps to educate children with mental or
physical handicaps in India. The team hopes to raise at least
€10,000 through the rally.
Preparation
Before starting out on the Mongolia Charity Rally, the team will
test out the reactor and the car in another rally - the Wonders
of Waste Rally from Rotterdam to Rome. That will begin on May
13 (Ascension Day) and last for four days.
The pair are currently busy preparing for the two rallies and
looking for sponsors. But Dorneanu cannot yet focus fully on the
rally. He still needs to complete his degree. He hopes to be
awarded his Master's degree in Engineering Fluid Dynamics a few
days before the race begins. Narayanaswamy is already free, though.
He has been offered a PhD position at University of Twente, but
will put this on hold for now while he embarks on this great
adventure.
