Surely nothing is more natural than breathing, but how natural is the air that we breathe? In issue 11, Insight outlined the main air quality concerns for Europe and the United States, highlighting the impact of on-road vehicles. Here, Insight looks at trends in emissions legislation, the emissions technology needed to meet this legislation and the impact on fuels and lubricants. With road use continuing to grow rapidly, pressure on the environment is going to increase. Moreover, road transport is responsible for a significant percentage of ultra-fine airborne particles, which are a major health concern at the moment. However, despite our increasing awareness of environmental matters and emissions control techniques, it is clear that there is no easy solution to combating emissions. Maintaining air quality is going to involve the concerted efforts of governments, scientists and engineers worldwide for a long time to come.

Industry and the environment: Big change for small engines - emissions requirements will spell the end for the traditional two-stroke outboard

Outboard motors have traditionally been two-stroke engines, because they offer a lightweight, simple construction with a relatively high power-to-weight ratio that is ideally suited to small craft. However, as a result of the design, a significant amount of fuel goes through the engine unburnt, resulting in high hydrocarbon emissions. To counter this, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) created emission requirements specifically for outboard engines and personal watercraft. By 2006, outboard engine manufacturers must reduce hydrocarbon emissions across their product line by 75% compared with 1996 levels. Insight looks at the consequences of this, specifically how the design of outboards is changing rapidly.

Face to face: Dennis Florkowski on the future of lubricants

2002 is going to be another busy year for those involved in updating lubricant tests and specifications. The scheduled introduction of new, more stringent emissions legislation throughout the world is driving immediate changes. The lubricants world already encompasses a multitude of oil categories and proprietary tests, which have evolved to meet disparate market needs. Can regional specifications meet the needs of individual OEMs without recourse to customisation? Moreover, in an increasingly global market, is there now a place for unified specifications? Larry Smith of Infineum Industry Liaison seeks the opinions of Dennis Florkowski, Lubricants Group Supervisor for DaimlerChrysler Corporation, with responsibility for all Chrysler Group powertrain and chassis lubrication products.

Regional focus: Keeping up with the lubricants revolution - opportunities in Russia's rapidly changing lubricants market

The Eastern European and CIS countries have been subject to enormous change in the last decade. The lubricants market is very much part of that change. What was once a closed market is now more open to new ideas and concepts regarding lubricants and related developments. Today the CIS countries are increasingly interested in the quality of lubricants in other markets, while the outside world is interested in discovering how best to serve the needs of the Russian marketplace. In this first of an occasional series looking at rapidly changing lubricant markets, Dr Raushan Telyashev from the Infineum Sales Office in Moscow discusses the opportunities opening up in Russia.

Conference report: 8th Annual Fuels and Lubes Asia Conference

IThis key event for Asia Pacific's fuels and lubes industry was held in Singapore at the end of January 2002. Some 45 presentations were made, covering a wide range of topics including the importance of business alliances to all industry players, the impact of environmental concerns on developments in automotive technologies, fuels and lubricants, and developments around API CI-4 (PC-9) technology. Insight summarises several of the keynote addresses, and offers highlights from some of the technical presentations, to give a flavour of the Conference.

Industry issues: Performance by design - developing 'Complex' detergents to meet the lubricant demands of future marine diesel engines

In the last decade, marine diesel engine design has evolved on an unprecedented scale. Engine size, power and mean effective pressure have all increased, while lubricant consumption has decreased dramatically, placing more severe technical demands on marine lubricants and highlighting the limitations of many existing formulations. Lubricant formulations relying on traditional additive solutions may be unable to meet these demands. Formulators need the additives industry to provide continuously improved solutions, in both economical and technical terms. The lubricant cannot compromise the technical advances obtained by engine design improvements. Insight looks at the development of 'Complex' detergents and explains how, based on experience, the new generation of detergents is expected to extend the performance limits of marine engine lubricants, enabling formulation of top performance, economically attractive lubricants to meet the demands of the engines of the future.

Personal viewpoint: Liaising with the past - David Covey looks back at his varied career in the automotive industry

Forty years is a long time in industry. Since the 1960s, the automotive, oil and additives industries have undergone many changes, evolving to remain competitive while answering environmental and consumer demands. Few people have been better placed to witness these changes than David Covey. He has applied his extensive knowledge of analytical chemistry on both sides of the additives industry - as a customer in the motor industry and as a deliverer for the additive companies. As Covey retires from his role as Infineum International's Industry Liaison Manager, he shares with Insight his personal views on the industries he knows so well.