Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
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By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing buyers with their sleek silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display novel forms of aviation fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to suppress emissions might make service jets more attractive to environmentally conscious - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less contaminating private jets could also spare the abundant and popular the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a recent personal jet journey to southern France.

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

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

"All of our item is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions worldwide, however can emit, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually safeguarded his periodic use of personal jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has stated that on the uncommon events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh challenges for an industry already striving to justify its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has delivered fuel performance improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to aircrafts - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some experts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, generally blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable influence on public understandings about high-end travel.

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

Demand from organization jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far surpasses 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 as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and consultants are also seeing more interest from consumers who wish to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a business jet usage study his company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I think that price, cost per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe individuals 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)