We successfully completed the "Into Clean Air" Expedition to Chile and Bolivia. We recruited the team through Explorers Connect, thank you!
Please see below a brief expedition report and photos (credit Alex Keefe)
Into Clean Air 2025: Expedition to the Atacama Desert and High Arid Passes of Chile and Bolivia
In April and May 2025, a team of five experienced British explorers, engineers and scientists carried out the “Into Clean Air” expedition to the Atacama Desert and high arid mountain passes in Chile and Bolivia). This innovative expedition was organized to evaluate the premise that remote expeditions over the severest terrain and environmental conditions can be carried out using a realistic carbon-mitigating strategy. The expedition team have made no claim that the expedition was “carbon neutral” – this was designed as a practical demonstration using sustainable and carbon saving fuel sources to power the diesel vehicles and to power the equipment. The information thus gained will be applied for application in urban mass transit and heavy industry operations such as mining in Chile and Bolivia.
The expedition left from Santiago, Chile in late April 2025 and path-finded routes through the high arid passes of the Andes at the borderlands of Chile and Bolivia before exploring the largest salt pan in the world, The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, and returning through the central Atacama desert – the driest place on Earth.
The two unmodified expedition trucks (Ford Ranger pickups) were run using a biofuel/diesel mix of up to 20% to keep within manufacturer’s warranty stipulation. The waste cooking oil was collected from restaurants in Santiago and processed for use. In Bolivia a nationally available 20% biodiesel mixed was used. Initially, by running a control vehicle on 100% diesel we were able to qualitatively asses and compare the functioning and performance of both trucks at high altitude (up to 5000 m (16,400 ft) and through a temperature range of -15°C to +30°C. In addition, the trucks were assessed over extreme off-road conditions where low-range gearing and high revs were necessarily employed to traverse deep sand/ash and steep inclines.
There was no discernible difference in engine performance between the control and active vehicles in all the environmental parameters listed above.
The expedition is supporting the UK charity: Action for Stammering Children that seeks to help kids and teenagers with severe stammers. The expedition is registered with but not affiliated to the UK Royal Geographical Society.