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Ramar Pillai repeats claim of wonder herbal fuel, seeks intellectual property rights, foresees huge market

Ponniah Ramar Pillai, who shot to fame with his invention of thermal fuel, has applied for intellectual property rights, to explore for commercial ventures in marketing the product, which he claims to be economical than petrol or diesel.

Pillai, who refuses to divulge any details about the chemical or herbal combination of the product, displayed its preparation and use of the herbal oil to mediapersons in Bombay on Saturday.

"The product is still pending before intellectual rights authorities. Hence I am not in a position to divulge any detail about the product," he said, when asked to spell out the name of chemicals or herbs used in making the product.

It may be recalled that a couple of years back, Pillai displayed his product in New Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Although the invention invited criticism from some quarters, he once again challenged the scientific community, by displaying the preparation and characteristics of the product. Currently, he is also giving it to a few persons under the name of Tamil Devi Herbal Fuel.

The 34-year-old Pillai, who hails from Idayanankulam village near Rajapalyam in Madurai, has got a secondard school certificate and stays with his family.

Since the last two years, after he invented the herbal fuel, he has decided to popularise the product and obtain a licence for commercialising it.

But it has not yielded much results. He uses two methods for producing the herbal oil -- one by boiling the chemicals and herbs, while another by fermenting the herbs and then mixing with a chemical compound. While the former will cost around Rs 15 per litre in the market, the latter may cost Rs 7.

Once the product establishes itself it will be economical than petrol or diesel in the commercial market, he claimed.

Pillai pointed out that the herbs and combinations that he is using are easily available and mass-production will not be a difficult task.

From the tests carried out, he said, it is seen that it has a good potential for two-stroke engines. Further research is also likely to yield more insights.

The herbs used can be cultivated and grown in hilly areas. From half-an-acre, a small unit manufacturing 500 litres of herbal fuel can be set up for continuous production. In one acre about 2,700 plants can be cultivated and every plant will yield 15 litres of fuel.

Moreover, the fuel is absolutely environment-friendly, and in today's world it can be a major success, he said.

Whether accepted or not, he will do further research in his personal capacity, he added.

UNI

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