Dr. Bursic 2:00
R10
ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS: AN ETHICAL DILEMMA
Andrew Campbell (ajc164@pitt.edu)
BACKGROUND
Photosynthesis is the manufacturing of chemical
compounds via the use of light energy [1]. Green plants,
Cyanobacteria and algae utilize this process in the
manufacturing of glucose, in which they store energy via the
chemical bonds to be used later for life processes [2]. The
concept of artificial photosynthesis is much the same as its
natural counterpart; light energy is used to convert certain
chemical compounds into new ones that are suitable sources
of energy for human consumption [3].
Over the past few decades, alternative sources of energy,
such as artificial photosynthesis, have been gaining popularity
among energy researchers and producers [4]. For the most
part, this is due to the hope that sources like artificial
photosynthesis will be viable replacements for fossil fuels,
which are the dominant sources of energy in the world [4].
There are a few reasons why fossil fuels need to be
replaced as the dominant source of energy. When fossil fuels
are consumed, they produce greenhouse gases like carbon
dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which cause irreparable
damage to the environment [4]. Also, the supply of fossil fuels
is limited and dwindling, which means it will become
increasingly more expensive for society to use them in mass
[5].
Even though artificial photosynthesis is a strong contender
as an alternative to fossil fuels, it still has technical issues that
need to be addressed. Chief among them is finding a suitable
replacement for chlorophyll as a catalyst for the
photosynthetic process [6]. The pigment chlorophyll is unique
in its ability to capture light energy from the sun and use it in
the oxidization of carbon dioxide molecules [1]. Although
finding a suitable replacement has proven to be a difficult
obstacle to overcome, some researchers have had promising
results with gold-copper alloys [6]. The gold-copper alloys
have shown in laboratory tests to be comparable to
chlorophyll in their ability to oxidize [6]. In addition, goldcopper alloys seem even more attractive as a potential
replacement for chlorophyll due to the relatively cheap cost
of copper [6].
our company’s design for an artificial photosynthesis energy
generator. Every member of the team has devoted an
extraordinary amount of time to this project, sometimes
working 70 hours a week in order to meet deadlines.
Recently, the team has made a breakthrough. We
discovered that layers of gold-copper alloys, when arranged
in a certain configuration, work extremely well as catalysts
for the oxidation process. Excited by the exceptional
progress, the design manager informs the company’s CEO,
Hank, of the good news. He told Hank that all of the team’s
work has been finalized and that the catalyst is ready to be
integrated into the overall design. Hank, believing the design
to be complete now that the catalyst issue has been resolved,
begins marketing the artificial photosynthesis energy
generator to potential customers. Within a month, many big
companies, such as Walmart and Exxon Mobil, have shown
great interest in Sol Power Inc.’s design.
Despite what the design manager told Hank, the new
catalyst for the process is not yet perfected. Over the course
of our experiments, the team discovered that over long
periods of use, the exterior Cu atoms in a sample of the goldcopper alloy become oxidized. Once this occurs, the sample
becomes much less useful as a catalyst and must be replaced.
When I confronted the project manager about this flaw, which
he was well aware of at the time when he told Hank, he said
not to worry and urged me to omit the flaw. He reasoned that
the sale of this invention would be ultimately beneficial to all
involved; Sol power Inc. would have an increase in profits,
the environment would be helped because the invention
would replace energy sources which are harmful, and
everyone in the design team would gain professional
recognition and monetary compensation. He also said that
eventually the team could correct this flaw and be faithful to
the company’s customers and to Hank.
Even though I understand the design manager’s points, I
also realize that there are conflicting moral issues to such
deception. So, the question comes down to if I should tell
Hank the truth about the flaw, or allow the deals to go through
as planned.
ANALYTICAL PROCESS
THE DILEMMA
I am a chemical engineer working for Sol Power Inc., an
alternative energy company that specializes in solar energy.
The company is a fledgling company, having only been in
existence for 2 years. Since my employment 8 months ago, I
have been in a team of 3 other engineers and a design manager
who is also an engineer. Over the course of these 8 months,
my team and I have been attempting to discover a new catalyst
for the oxidization of carbon dioxide. We intended to use it in
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering
Date of Submission 2014-10-28
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When anyone is faced with an ethical dilemma, whether
they are an engineer or not, it is important for them to weigh
the pros and cons of their action before executing their plan.
In addition, it is important that they look at the situation from
multiple different viewpoints in order to see how their action
could help or hurt themselves as well as others. The person in
the situation must also decide what moral codes are the most
important to them so they can decide which to follow. These
codes may be professional, like the NSPE code of ethics. They
Andrew Campbell
also may be more general codes for living life as a good
person, such as social norms, family values, or religious
tenets.
NSPE CODE OF ETHICS
The NSPE code of ethics explicitly states that, “engineers
shall acknowledge their errors and shall not distort or alter the
facts” [7]. It also says that every engineer will, “Act for each
employer or client as faithful agents or trustees” [7]. Both of
these statements are directly applicable to my current
situation. They support the fact that not telling our customers
about the defect in the gold-copper alloy component is
deceitful and ethically unacceptable. However, the NSPE
code of ethics also states that engineers will, “hold paramount
the safety, health, and welfare of the public” [7]. By allowing
these devices to go to market, the company is helping to rid
society of its dependence on fossil fuels, which is helpful to
everyone on earth. Despite this, I believe that the code of
ethics would still support being honest, mostly because of the
more implicit reasoning associated with the section about the
welfare of the public. The code also says that engineers should
accept responsibility for their actions. This would be
appropriate if I decided to do nothing and were caught; I
would face harsher punishment if I decided to hide my
deception any further. Much of the rest of the NSPE code of
ethics is either redundant in the fact that it is against lying, or
inapplicable to this situation. An example of an inapplicable
guideline would be that, “engineers shall perform services
only in areas of their competence” [7], since I am a chemical
engineer being faced with a chemical engineering ethical
dilemma.
ANALYSIS OF MY SITUATION
In my situation, I have two main courses of action. Either
I could tell Hank about the defect or I say nothing and allow
the deal to go through.
On the one hand, I could tell Hank about the defect. This
would lead to Hank being very upset with the project
manager, and may lead to the project manager losing his job.
Since he worked on this project for so long, the project
manager would be devastated. It would also mean that the
research team would have to work more long hours in order
to resolve the issue. The potential buyers, who have already
foregone other opportunities to pursue our invention, would
become distrusting of our company and may cease conducting
business with us altogether. This would result in Sol Power
Inc. losing a large sum of potential revenue, which would be
devastating to the fledgling company.
On the other hand, I could stay silent about the defect and
allow the deal to go through. This could lead to a huge come
up for Sol Power Inc. and all its employees. The company
would have a new source of income, stock prices would
increase, and everyone who worked on the project would gain
professional recognition and monetary compensation for such
a ground breaking achievement in energy production. Also,
the new invention would begin to accelerate society’s
conversion to cleaner energy, which is beneficial to everyone.
In addition, the defect also assures that the customers will
have to keep replacing the gold-alloy component, assuring a
continued source of revenue for the company. However,
deceiving the customers could result in severe blowback. If
they discover that we were aware of this defect, the young
company could be sued, which would result in the company’s
collapse and the loss of everyone’s jobs. In addition, everyone
who was aware of the defect, namely my research team and I,
could be barred from engineering for our deceitful behavior.
AICHE CODE OF ETHICS
The AIChE code of ethics is very similar the NSPE code
of ethics. It too imparts that being honest and impartial to
clients, employers, and the public is crucial to being a good
engineer [8]. It also states that engineers should “issue
statements or present information only in an objective and
truthful manner” [8]. Due to these statements, I believe that
the best way to follow this code of ethics is to be honest at all
times. This would also be the best way to strive for
“competence and prestige [in] the engineering profession” [8],
since being dishonest would decrease the overall prestige of
the profession. However, the AIChE code of ethics also states
that engineers should “protect the environment in
performance of their professional duties” [8]. I believe that
the best way to protect the environment would be to not say
anything to Hank, and allow the device to replace fossil fuels
in the energy production of society. Thus, there is a conflict
in this code of ethics. Even so, I believe being honest would
still be the best way to follow this code.
The only part of this code that is not pertinent in my
situation is the section stating that engineers should never
tolerate harassment [8]. The project manager never did
anything to directly threaten or offend me individually,
otherwise it would be pertinent.
ETHICAL RESOURCES
ENGINEERING CODES OF ETHICS
The first thing any engineer should do when faced with an
ethical dilemma is to consult the engineering codes of ethics
which are applicable to the situation. For my situation, the two
most relevant codes are the NSPE code of ethics, which is the
guiding code for any engineering discipline, and the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers Code of Ethics,
which is specific to my discipline. Engineers are both
ethically and legally bound to these codes of ethics and must
follow them to the best of their ability.
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Andrew Campbell
manager to assure that the public gets the product they believe
they are purchasing.
CASE STUDIES
Another resource that an engineer can consult when faced
with an ethical dilemma are case studies. These are
exploratory analyses of some concept or event, where moral
implications of some action are discussed. Some case studies
may be directly related to an engineer’s current situation,
while others may be in a completely different field of study.
However, in either situation the case can still give insight on
what an engineer should do when faced with an ethical
dilemma.
THE CONTRIBUTION CONUNDRUM
The third case study I consulted was one involving
campaign contributions. An engineer who has been working
for a construction company for a relatively short time notices
an extra $1000 dollars in his paycheck [11]. At a staff meeting,
the boss explains that the company owes a certain government
official for endorsing the company for certain construction
projects [11]. He says that he has already contributed to the
official’s re-election campaign, and that he expects the same
type of “loyalty” from the rest of the company [11].
The main issue in this situation is allowing money to
influence your actions. The company is essentially telling its
employees to bribe the government official so that they can
continue getting contracts. This is much the same dilemma as
mine; I have to choose between doing what is fair, which
would be to not lie to the customers, and what allows my
company to be profitable. Just as the civil engineer in this
situation should not allow himself to be persuaded by money
into doing something immoral, I should not let the chance of
monetary gains stop me from informing Hank of the defect.
A NEW DIALYSIS MACHINE
The first case study I consulted in this situation was one
involving a new type of dialysis machine [9]. In the scenario,
someone working for a health technology company has a
choice between designs for a dialysis machine: one that will
use disposable filters, or one that will use 100 times more
costly reusable filters [9]. Although the disposable filters are
cheaper to produce, they are very difficult to provide to third
world countries where they are needed since humanitarian
organizations are rarely willing to pay for them [9].
Although this scenario is not directly related to my
situation, it can still give insight into handling mine. The
overall gist of this scenario is that paying the extra money will
assure that the product will do the most good for society. This
is like my situation since putting the extra time and money
into correcting the flaw with the gold-copper catalyst will
mean a better product for the consumer. It is different to my
situation in the fact that the disposable version of the dialysis
filter is better for humanity since it saves lives in third world
countries, while the disposable version of the gold-copper
catalyst is less helpful since it creates more waste and does
not directly help save lives.
ARTICLES ON ETHICS
Articles on ethics can also be quite useful in deciding what
the best course of action is for your situation. These articles
usually look into ethics on a deeper level can be useful in more
complex ethical situations.
One article I read quoted a man by the name of Aldo
Leopold. He once said that promoting sustainable
development was, “a job not of building roads into lovely
country, but of building receptivity into the still unlovely
human mind” [12]. This seems to pertain to my situation
because it outlines one of the goals for the device that Sol
Power Inc. is building. The quote implies that the first step
toward sustainable energy is to make it accepted in the minds
of the public. If the artificial photosynthesis energy generator
was to fail upon its first release due to a faulty catalyst, it may
damage the reputation of sustainable energy and make it
harder to implement on a large scale in the future.
The second article I read outlined the concept of corporate
social responsibility (CSR). CSR is the idea that corporations
can self-regulate their actions in a way that maximizes
productivity and in the end results in the best situation for
society [13]. This seems applicable to my situation because if
I allowed the product to go to market while I am aware of a
defect, I would be going against the idea that business can
regulate its own actions. If the company were to get caught,
the deception could trigger new regulations by the
government and distrust amongst the public which would
hinder business as a whole.
FIRE CODE VIOLATION
The second case I consulted was one involving fire safety
codes. The situation is that a fire protection engineer is
employed by a land lord to inspect an old apartment building
[10]. Upon completing his inspection, he discovers that the
fire alarms cannot be heard in all rooms of the building [10].
The engineer tells the client that this is a safety code violation,
and the client responds by saying that he does not have the
money at the moment to fix this code violation [10].
This situation is related to my dilemma in that a
technological deficiency is overlooked due to money issues.
It is also related in that there is a conflict between
confidentiality and doing what is best for the public interest.
I can apply this to my situation because I have to choose
between keeping confidentiality with my team and doing
what creates the best product for my customers. Just as the
fire protection engineer should violate the confidentiality he
has with the landowner so that the tenants of the building are
safe, I should violate my confidentiality with my design
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Andrew Campbell
http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/columency/p
hotosynthesis/0
[3] L. Yarris. (2014). “On the Road to Artificial
Photosynthesis.”
Berkeley
Lab.
(online
article).
http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2014/09/25/key-catalytic-factorsin-carbon-dioxide-reduction/
[4] Y. Wei, G. Wu, H. Liao, H. Wang (2011). Energy
Economics: CO2 Emissions in China. Beijing, China: Science
Press
Beijing.
(Online
book).
http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/552/bok%253A9783-642-138478.pdf?auth66=1412013918_cde944e27ee0ac458ebbaf89b76
4aa6e&ext=.pdf pp. 6-12
[5] D. E. Newton. (2012). Contemporary World Issues: World
Energy Crisis: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA:
ABC-CLIO. (Online book).
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/pitt/reader.action?docID=10649968
pp. 54-58
[6] Y. Sugano, Y. Shiraishi, D. Tsukamoto, S. Ichikawa, S.
Tanaka, T. Hirai. (2013). “Supported Au–Cu Bimetallic Alloy
Nanoparticles: An Aerobic Oxidation Catalyst with
Regenerable Activity by Visible-Light Irradiation.”
Angewandte Chemie International Edition, vol. 52, Wiley
Online
Library
(Online
Article).
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201301669/f
ull pp. 5295-5299
[7] (2007). “NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers.” NSPE
website.
(Online
article).
http://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics
[8] (2013). “Code of Ethics.” AIChE website. (Online article).
http://www.aiche.org/about/code-ethics
[9] S. E. Wilson, Ph.D (2010). “A New Dialysis Machine.”
National Academy of Engineering website. (Online article).
http://www.onlineethics.org/Resources/Cases/DialysisMachi
ne.aspx
[10] NSPE Board of Ethical Review (2014). “Public Health
and Safety-Delay in Addressing Fire Code Violations.” NSPE
website.
(Online
article).
http://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/BER%20Case%20No
%2013-11-FINAL.pdf Case No. 13-11
[11] National Institute for Engineering Ethics (2014). “The
Coercive Contribution Conundrum.” Texas Tech University
Website.
(Online
article).
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/murdoughcenter/products/cases.ph
p Case No. 1006
[12] B. K. Sovacool (2013). Energy, Climate and the
Environment: Energy and Ethics: Justice and the Global
Energy Challenge. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
(Online
book).
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/pitt/reader.action?docID=10740304
pp. 1
[13] R. J. Hanlon (2011). Contemporary Politics. Oxfordshire,
UK:
Routledge
(online
book).
http://rt4rf9qn2y.search.serialssolutions.com/ pp. 71-72
[14] K. Campbell (2014). Phone Conversation.
[15] The Bible (New King James Version, Exodus 20:16).
PERSONAL RESOURCES
Personal resources for ethical analysis are some of the
most important. For most people, ethical actions are not
taught through books but instilled by role models encountered
through life.
One personal resource I would turn to in this situation
would be what my parents had taught me. Growing up, my
parents always told me to be honest and up front in whatever
I do [14]. They have also said that if I lie or make a mistake,
I should confess as soon as possible or it will come back to
haunt me [14].
Another personal resource I would consult would be my
faith. The ninth commandment specifically condemns lying
of any sort by saying, “You shall not bear false witness against
your neighbor” [15].
Both of these sources support the fact that I should tell
Hank the truth about the defect, instead of staying silent and
hoping things work out for the best.
MY DECISION
Based on all the resources I have consulted and discussed
in the previous paragraphs, I believe I would have to tell Hank
about the defect. This decision may get my design team
manager in trouble, but it will avoid any potential ethical or
legal issues that may arise from putting a faulty product on
the market. It also may give my team and myself more work,
but not cheating the consumers will mean a more stable future
for the company, for sustainable energy, and for myself
professionally.
DECISION MAKING PROCESS
Anyone, especially engineers, faced with an ethical
dilemma should do as I have outline before making a decision.
They should consult many different sources and look at the
situation from multiple viewpoints in order to see the total
effect of their actions. They should weight out what is most
important to them and what decision will result in the best
outcome. For the most part, however, many dilemmas can be
solved by just following the basic morals of humanity: be kind,
be fair, and always put in your best effort.
REFERENCES
[1] R. Razeghifard. (2013). Natural and Artificial
Photosynthesis: Solar Power as an Energy Source. Hoboken,
NJ:
John
Wiley
&
Sons.
(Online
book).
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/pitt/reader.action?docID=10768953
pp. 13-15
[2] E. O'Toole. (2013). The Columbia Encyclopedia. New
York City, NY: Columbia University Press. (Online
encyclopedia).
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge my parents for instilling into
me a set of good moral values. I would also like to
acknowledge Aaron Johnson for proofreading my paper.
Lastly, I would like to thank Janine Carlock for promptly
answering my questions via email.
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