New clean-air fuel additive comes with big boasts, but oil companies aren't interested.

New clean-air fuel additive comes with big boasts, but oil companies aren't interested

Stan Shaw, president of Torrance-based Clean Air Fuels, claims he has found the answer to pollution from automobiles: "SS-51," a fuel additive which "can keep a brand-new vehicle at zero emissions" and "increase mileage from 20 to 40 percent."

Shaw who took one year of high school chemistry, sold oil additives for a living and tinkered with engines in his spare time until he decided seven years ago to design an additive that would stop the engine knock from newly introduced unleaded fuel and fuels with low octane.

"I didn't realize what it would do until I took the first car down and ran it through smog check," Shaw said.

Since then Shaw said he has spent his time perfecting the new blend. The biggest hurdle he faced was getting it to work with diesel and jet fuel, which was eventually accomplished.

In addition, Shaw said, the fuel basically removes diesel smoke and can bring to zero the emissions from automobiles without catalytic converters.

Shaw would not divulge over the telephone how he plans to market his prize, but did say the large oil companies have already turned his invention down.

"We've had some nice comments telling us to go away, and some nasty ones telling us to go away," he said.