Petrobras chose a concept on Dec. 22 for the base oil and fuel production units of its GasLub hub in Itaborai, Brazil, and gave the go-ahead for detailed engineering studies of those aspects of the facility. The base oil plant would include catalytic hydrocracking, hydrotreating and hydrogen isomerization dewaxing units.

United States President Joe Biden’s administration published a final rule last week tightening caps on heavy-duty truck emissions of nitrous oxides. The regulations could affect formulation of lubricants used in heavy-duty internal combustion engines by requiring increased compatibility with NOx control technologies.

Shell, through its subsidiary Pennzoil-Quaker State, acquired the parent company of Allied Reliability Inc., an industrial services and maintenance products provider which also provides lubrication systems and components, the company announced last week. The move expands Shell’s North American lubricants business into a more service-driven sector.