The content of this article presents research on used and fresh engine oils. The aim of the experiment is to preliminarily develop a method for assessing the condition of engine oil subjected to service. A four-ball tester was used to compare the lubricating properties of the engine oil as one component of the tribosystem under laboratory conditions. The method used to determine the mashing load consisted of subjecting the kinematic node to a linearly increasing load with a build-up rate of 409 N·s-1 under operating conditions of approximately 20°C and a spindle speed of 500 rpm. The presented article is a continuation of the consideration of the lubricating properties of engine oils subjected to operation. The tests carried out made it possible to observe that fresh oils are characterised by their ability to carry higher loads in relation to oils subjected to service. This is evidenced by the obtained values of scuffing loads, which have a higher value for fresh oils (The average percentage increase in scuffing load for fresh oils was 62.23%). Comparing the friction torque characteristics with each other, it can be seen that the values of maximum friction torque are also higher for the fresh oils group. The modelling process made it possible to characterise changes in the tribological properties of the lubricating oil being used. In the future, the described model will be extended to include further input parameters (viscosity, contaminant content, fractional composition, etc.), which will allow a multi-parametric assessment of lubricating oil wear.

Reducing pesticide drift is essential for minimizing environmental pollution and so implementing sustainable agricultural practices. Various methods can be employed to counteract this phenomenon, one of which is air-assisted spraying. This study evaluates the impact of air assistance on spray deposition using a field sprayer designed for cereal crops. Spray quality was assessed using water-sensitive paper, allowing drift levels to be estimated not only by assessing coverage but also by measuring the average number of droplets per square centimeter on the paper surface. This method provided a more reliable evaluation of drift reduction. The results indicate that air assistance reduced drift by 40.74% in coverage and 37.55% in droplet density per square centimeter. Notably, the greatest drift reduction occurred at the point of highest coverage—1 m from the spraying area—with an average reduction of 50%. Furthermore, at this distance, an 80% drift reduction was achieved at the recommended sprayer speed of 6 km/h. These findings highlight the potential of air-assisted spraying to enhance efficiency while reducing environmental impact. This research aligns with the objectives of the European Green Deal, supporting the transition toward more sustainable pesticide application techniques and contributing to environmentally responsible crop protection practices.

A problem has been noted regarding the admixture of fuel to a low viscosity lubricant in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). This is very detrimental to the wear and tear of engine operating components. In this study, the operating conditions of HEVs were analysed. Using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), engine oils of two different viscosity classes were compared after the operating process and these data were compared with fresh reference samples. Attention was paid to the content of elements such as Ca, Zn, Mo, Sn, Cd, Fe Pb, Si, Cu, and Ni. The depletion of anti-wear additives, as well as the higher content of metallic wear products relative to the operated 5W30 (engine oil), contributed to the overall assessment of the lubricity of the 0W30 oil, as well as to the tribological results. Then, under laboratory conditions, oil samples contaminated with up to 1 to 8% fuel were subjected to rheological (mini AV-X viscometer) and tribological (four-ball tester) tests. The dependence of the local pressure at the metal-to-metal contact point in the kinematic node on viscosity showed the dissimilar nature of the used and fresh oil and the divergence of the domains for the two groups of samples. Increasing the fuel contamination of used oil above 4% drastically reduces the pressure responsible for maintaining the oil film. In order to improve lubricant performance during HEV operation in urban conditions, it was proposed to carry out extra-urban traffic driving in order to evaporate the fuel from the engine oil. A shorter oil change interval is also recommended.

Efficient pesticide application remains a critical resource-management challenge in modern agriculture, where limited spray penetration reduces treatment efficacy, wastes chemical inputs, and increases environmental losses. This study quantified the effect of air-assisted spraying (AAS) on droplet deposition in two contrasting field crops, oilseed rape and wheat. Field trials were conducted using a sprayer equipped with an adjustable airflow module, and spray coverage was measured with water-sensitive papers at multiple canopy heights and orientations. In oilseed rape, AAS improved deposition on front-facing and top surfaces in the lower canopy, for example, increasing top-surface coverage at 90 cm from 53.4% to 65.5% at 6 km∙h⁻¹, indicating more uniform distribution and enhanced penetration. In wheat, which typically exhibits a more open canopy structure compared to oilseed rape, AAS effects were smaller and less consistent, with the greatest gain on front-facing lower surfaces (from 13.3% to 21.9% at 7 km∙h⁻¹). Although drift was not measured in this experiment, previous studies using the same sprayer prototype demonstrated measurable reductions, supporting the environmental relevance of improved deposition. These results highlight the role of canopy architecture in determining AAS performance and underscore the technology’s potential to reduce pesticide inputs, minimize off-target losses, and improve the resource efficiency of crop protection in line with EU Farm to Fork objectives.

The article presents the results of tests, replaced according to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations, of engine oils. The sample of engine oils in service came from spark-ignition and compression-ignition vehicles used in urban or mixed mode. During their collection, the type of drive unit, the mileage of the car and the number of kilometres the oil was used for were recorded for each sample (this was the main criterion for differentiating samples). In addition, a control group of samples consisting of fresh oils of the same viscosity grade and distributed by the same producer was set up to observe changes in the parameters of individual lubricants after the operating period. The first part of the empirical study consisted of determining the physico-chemical properties of the lubricants, i.e.: kinematic viscosity, density and water content. The second part involved anti-wear tests using a T-02U tribotester. The use of the tribotester made it possible to record the anti-wear parameter, i.e. moment of friction, and also the load imposed on the friction node, as a result of which it was possible to calculate the friction force and friction coefficient. The research was complemented by an analysis of worn surfaces of the friction node on a microscope. The tests carried out can be used for predictive purposes, in terms of assessing the condition of a lubricant subjected to an operating process in an internal combustion engine.