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 market program in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing purchasers with their sleek shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to novel types of aviation fuel considered less damaging to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually bowed to ecological pressure on aviation and committed to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to curb emissions could make company jets more attractive to environmentally mindful purchasers - particularly corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The schedule of less contaminating private jets could likewise spare the abundant and well-known the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a current private jet journey to southern France.

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

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

"All of our item is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions internationally, but can give off, on average, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has defended his occasional usage of private jets to ensure his household's security, and has actually said that on the unusual occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say incidents such as the furore over his travel plan have added fresh obstacles for a market currently aiming to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using personal jets are regrettable when you think about that our industry has delivered fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to industry data, billionaires only have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out planes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, normally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial impact on public perceptions about high-end travel.

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," said aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from service jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.

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

Corporate charter business and specialists are also seeing more interest from customers who wish to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I think that rate, expense per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think individuals are becoming more aware of the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)