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

By Allison Lampert

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

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

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

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions could make business jets more appealing to environmentally conscious buyers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less contaminating personal jets could also spare the abundant and famous the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current private 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 market," stated 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 aircraft on display are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions internationally, however can discharge, usually, as much as 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 occasional usage of personal jets to ensure his household's security, and has said that on the uncommon events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his travel plan have added fresh difficulties for an industry already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving making use of personal jets are regrettable when you consider that our industry has actually provided fuel performance enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting planes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, generally blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.

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

Demand from organization jet for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest could 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 business and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from clients 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 role in a business jet usage study his company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

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