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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

kathaleencarri edited this page 2025-01-12 11:28:59 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing purchasers with their streamlined shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique forms of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive 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 eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make business jets more appealing to environmentally mindful purchasers - specifically corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less jets might likewise spare the rich and popular the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a recent personal jet journey to southern France.

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

The newest waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts 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 product is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions globally, however can give off, typically, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has protected his periodic usage of personal jets to ensure his household's safety, and has actually said that on the unusual celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say incidents such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh challenges for an industry already aiming to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

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

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

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

Environmentalists and some experts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, usually blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable impact on public understandings about luxury travel.

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

Demand from business jet operators for sustainable fuels now far goes beyond 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 experts are likewise seeing more interest from consumers who wish to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I believe that rate, cost per hour, range, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe individuals are ending up being more mindful of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)