Isra-Mart srl:Biofuels team motors to the South Pole

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Isra-Mart srl news:

An attempt to record the quickest ever crossing of Antarctica has reached the South Pole, powered entirely by biofuels.

The 10 man team from the Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition spent Friday on the bottom of the world, marking the first time that a bio-fuelled vehicle has visited the South Pole.

"[The group] have had unusual weather, tortuous sastrugi (ridges formed on a snow surface by wind erosion) and some mechanical challenges. They were exhausted, but exhilarated by the sight of the South Pole," the team said in a statement.

The researchers, working in partnership with Imperial College London, set off on the 2,000 mile (3,219km) trip the previous Friday from Union Glacier and aim to return before Christmas, making the journey the fastest ever vehicle crossing of the continent.

The propeller-driven pod on three skis, called The Winston Wong Bio-inspired Ice Vehicle, or BIV, runs on bioethanol. It is being supported by two six-wheel drive Science Support Vehicles, which are fitted with high wattage solar panels to power all scientific equipment on board.

The team are hoping to prove the efficiency and reliability of biofuels in the harsh Antarctic terrain, which if successful could allow researchers to reduce their environmental impact.

Currently Antarctica's researcher population, which varies from about 1,000 people in winter to 4,000 in summer, mostly travels by light aircraft that emit high levels of CO2.

As well as studying the performance of biofuels, they will test snow samples for trace metals, in order to track the passage of pollutants in the southern hemisphere, and look for potential meteorite samples in the ice.

The research could also have a wider impact for the biofuels industry, given that one of the criticisms sometimes levelled at biofuels is that they work less effectively in extremely cold temperatures.