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 greatest industry program in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing buyers with their smooth silhouettes, plush cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display unique forms of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have bowed to environmental pressure on air travel and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions might make company jets more appealing to environmentally mindful buyers - particularly corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The schedule of less polluting private jets might also spare the rich and well-known the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a current personal jet journey to southern France.

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

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

"All of our item is inedible."

A few of the other 79 airplane on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions worldwide, however can discharge, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has actually stated that on the unusual events he does not fly he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his travel plan have added fresh difficulties for a market already aiming to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our market has actually provided fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will help the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires just have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to planes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some experts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, generally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant influence on public perceptions about high-end travel.

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from service jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter companies and experts are likewise seeing more interest from customers who wish to purchase carbon credits to offset 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 company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

"At the end of the day, I think that rate, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think people are becoming more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)