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Mention soya beans and you think of the sweet, milky drink. Human Fat as Fuel This article was first published in The New Paper on June 8, 2008.
But for Mr Pete Bethune, 43, these tiny sources of protein help to power his eco-friendly boat, which can reach a maximum speed of 40 knots (74kmh).
The former oil exploration engineer, now full-time skipper of his boat called Earthrace, said: “One of the good things about biodiesel is that it can be derived from many sources like soya beans, vegetable oils and animal fats.”
The New Zealander has even used his own body fat to power his boat.
Using biodiesel, Mr Bethune said, produces less carbon emission compared to traditional fuels.
Early last year, he underwent liposuction in New Zealand and 100ml of his body fat was later turned into the fuel.
Another 10kg of human fat donated by others contributed to a total of about 7 litres of biodiesel, used during the boat’s trial runs. He said: “What I was trying to show is there are many options apart from fossil fuels, even human fats.”
It all boils down to the green message he hopes to send out with his current record-breaking round-the-world race. Mr Bethune is hoping to smash the current speed record for circling the globe on water.
That record stands at 74 days, 23 hours and 53 minutes, but his crew wants to do this in 65 days. They look to be on track to hit their target. They have been sailing since 27 Apr this year and have been to Spain, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Panama, Mexico, the United States, Hawaii and Palau.
Mr Bethune and his three-member crew arrived on Friday to repair their 24-metre boat at a shipyard. It sustained significant damages when it hit a floating log near Pulau, an island nation in the Pacific.
The other crew members are Mr Mark Russell, 32, Mr Rob Drewett, 30, and Mr Adam Carlson, 22. Since Mr Bethune first conceived the idea of building a boat that runs purely on renewable biodiesel fuel five years ago, he has had more than his fair share of hair-raising experiences.
During promotional runs in the last two years, he has experienced everything from being shot at by the Colombian navy, who mistook the crew for drug runners, to being knocked around by 12m tall waves in New Zealand and the United States.
The sinewy weather-beaten skipper, with a Masters of Business Administration under his belt, has made several personal sacrifices.
These included re-mortgaging his home, selling off his robotics business, and sinking about US$750,000 ($1 million) into the project. Not to mention missing out on precious family time with his wife, 39, and his two daughters, 13 and 12, who live in Auckland, New Zealand.
About another US$1.5m for the project came from sponsors. But the skipper wasn’t always this environmentally-conscious.
Between 1989 to 1995, he worked as an oil exploration engineer, based in Scotland and North Africa. He said: “After all the oil is gone, what are we going to do? That’s when I started to become interested in renewable energy.”
Going Green
His “turning point” came in 2003, when he was studying part-time for his MBA in the Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Sydney, Australia.
That was when he researched extensively to write a paper about renewable fuels for transportation purposes. For comfort, the boat is fitted with a kitchen stove, bunkers and even an e-mail system on board.
Mr Bethune and his crew are hoping the repair work will be swift, so that they can leave tomorrow night for India in good time.
Even if he does not break the record, he hopes that the trip had helped spread the message of a more sustainable lifestyle.
Mr Bethune said: “We hope to make a positive contribution to people’s understanding that they can lead amazing lives and take care of the environment at the same time.”
