Biodiesel
Many case studies have been done for the ethical issues of biofuels such as biodiesel. There are many issues people have with the fuels, such as; deforestation, slave labor, price raises, and even caused riots. These studies have been done in places such as the U.S., Brazil, and Malaysia. In Mexico, for food safety, people started a riot known as the "Tortilla Riot" since they didn't want to give up their grains for food as tortillas become short. In the U.S., in-direct land usage and water usage issues have been present. Brazil has shown issues with deforestation and slave labor for the fuels. In Malaysia, deforestation and biodiversity losses, disruption of subsistence economies, and rising price of palm oil have become issues. Biofuels have become issues of peoples direct rights and need to become environmentally sustainable.
Metaphorical representation of biofuels taking grain that caused the "Tortilla Riot."
Ethical Issues
There are several legal issues involving biodiesel. Some of the legal issues with biodiesel involve creating it. The internet has made it very easy with a thorough step-by-step process but the U.S. Department of Energy highly does not recommend this for unskilled and unauthorized people to produce their own biodiesel for the sake of legal liability, safety, engine warranty and production quality. If the homemade biodiesel is used on public roads, transportations fuels are most likely federally taxed.
Also, if in legal liability, there may be violations with the laws of federal tax. So take heavy precaution with making homemade biodiesel. Another reason not to make homemade biodiesel is the necessary catalysts which can cause chemical burns. Also, methanol is used which is highly flammable. If homemade fuels don't meet ASTM standards, engine warranties will not be covered.
Also, the selling of biodiesel is highly illegal if unprofessional. Another thing is cold flow properties and vehicle manufacture warranties based on blends are issues to be taken notice of in northern climates. Also, there's a risk of contamination of biodiesel if it were to be stored over six months.
Legal Issues
Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues
Social Issues
One of the most common issues had with biofuels in general is the "Food over Fuels" topic. Food is one of the most important things we make, as it is a basic necessity of life. While fuel on the other hand, is just a convenience we just want. The problem here is that even as technologically advanced as we are now, we still are not able to produce enough food to feed all the people alive at this current time. So if we took away food to make fuel we could create more problems with hunger then we are solving with fuels.