mission-newenergy-limited

1 Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry show in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing buyers with their smooth silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display unique kinds of aviation fuel considered less hazardous to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the distinctly less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually bowed to environmental pressure on aviation and devoted to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to suppress emissions could make company jets more appealing to environmentally conscious buyers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The accessibility of less polluting private jets might also spare the rich and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a current private jet trip to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.

The current waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

Some of the other 79 airplane on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions worldwide, however can discharge, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his periodic usage of personal jets to guarantee his family's security, and has actually stated that on the rare occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his travel plan have added fresh difficulties for an already making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the use of personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our market has provided fuel performance improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will help the industry make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out airplanes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, generally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public understandings about high-end travel.

"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," said air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow said.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might expand production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and experts are likewise seeing more interest from customers who wish to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions played a function in a business jet usage research study his business recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I believe that price, expense per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think individuals are ending up being more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)