Ecological funeral
Encyclopedia
Promession is a method for disposing of human remains by way of freeze drying
. It was invented and patent
ed in 1999 by a Swedish
biologist
Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak. The process uses liquid nitrogen followed by vibration to reduce the body remains.
The method is based on three steps:
It is clear that to produce liquid nitrogen or LN2 on its own would be relatively costly, however this is offset by other factors when it is used to replace environmentally hazardous alternatives; Nitrogen is a by-product of the essential oxygen industry and for every 1 part oxygen, there are 4 parts of nitrogen produced; therefore the Promession method effectively recycles this waste product which otherwise is released back into the atmosphere, at the expense of the energy used to liquefy it.
Promession allows quick continuation of the life cycle through natural aerobic
decomposition.
The first facilities for Promession-based funerals, known as Promatoria, are due to be ready in 2011. They will be located in Sweden, Great Britain & South Korea.
The volume of remains left is about a third of the original body weight; the advantages include avoiding the release of pollutants into the atmosphere (for instance, mercury
vapour from dental filling
s) and the rapid decomposition of the remains (within 6 to 12 months of burial) and the return of the body to life's cycle.
Promession allows for families to be buried in the same plot without disturbing previous remains and meets the requirements of new European Union
pollution laws.
"Promession" is derived from the Italian
word for "promise" (promessa).
Freeze drying
Freeze-drying is a dehydration process typically used to preserve a perishable material or make the material more convenient for transport...
. It was invented and patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed in 1999 by a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak. The process uses liquid nitrogen followed by vibration to reduce the body remains.
The method is based on three steps:
- Reducing the body of the deceased to a fine powder, thereby allowing subsequent decompositionDecompositionDecomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
to be aerobic. This is achieved by submerging the body in liquid nitrogenLiquid nitrogenLiquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
, making the remains so brittle that they shatter into a powder as the result of slight vibrations. The powder is then dried, reducing the deceased remains to around 30% of their original body weight. - Removing and recyclingRecyclingRecycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
metals within the powdered remains. - Shallow-burying the powder in a biodegradableBiodegradationBiodegradation or biotic degradation or biotic decomposition is the chemical dissolution of materials by bacteria or other biological means...
casketCasketA casket, or jewelry box is a term for a container that is usually larger than a box, and smaller than a chest, and in the past was typically decorated...
.
It is clear that to produce liquid nitrogen or LN2 on its own would be relatively costly, however this is offset by other factors when it is used to replace environmentally hazardous alternatives; Nitrogen is a by-product of the essential oxygen industry and for every 1 part oxygen, there are 4 parts of nitrogen produced; therefore the Promession method effectively recycles this waste product which otherwise is released back into the atmosphere, at the expense of the energy used to liquefy it.
Promession allows quick continuation of the life cycle through natural aerobic
Aerobic
Aerobic is a word that means "requiring air", where "air" usually means oxygen.Aerobic may also refer to:* Aerobic exercise, prolonged exercise of moderate intensity* Aerobics, a form of aerobic exercise...
decomposition.
- Below two feet, at the depth which coffins are traditionally buried, there is no oxygen, which is one of the prerequisites for composting or aerobic decomposition to take place. But despite this, the dead are buried at a depth where the oxygen is missing; therefore the deceased are exposed to a negative putrefactionPutrefactionPutrefaction is one of seven stages in the decomposition of the body of a dead animal. It can be viewed, in broad terms, as the decomposition of proteins, in a process that results in the eventual breakdown of cohesion between tissues and the liquefaction of most organs.-Description:In terms of...
process or anaerobic decomposition.
- It is the lack of oxygen combined with the amount of remains that causes the body to not decompose, but effectively putrify in an ordinary burial, With such large bodies, humans always start to rot if not first broken down into smaller parts so that oxygen can reach all body parts. In the past this would have been done by wild animals.
- It is important to remember that even the powder produced by Promession would not compost at 2 meters below ground, due to the lack of oxygen. The same applies to a body that is above ground or in the upper soil layers with high availability of oxygen. Despite the high oxygen content, the body still putrefies because the body is intact and whole and anaerobic conditions are already present in the gut . It is not enough for one or the other. Proper composting or aerobic decomposition of a corpse requires a combination of fragmentation of the body, oxygen-rich soil and micro-and macro-organisms. Therefore Promession is a modern and ethical manner to transform the body into smaller parts to get it to compost correctly and return to soil without the negative side effects associated with putrefaction.
The first facilities for Promession-based funerals, known as Promatoria, are due to be ready in 2011. They will be located in Sweden, Great Britain & South Korea.
The volume of remains left is about a third of the original body weight; the advantages include avoiding the release of pollutants into the atmosphere (for instance, mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
vapour from dental filling
Dental restoration
A dental restoration or dental filling is a dental restorative material used to restore the function, integrity and morphology of missing tooth structure. The structural loss typically results from caries or external trauma. It is also lost intentionally during tooth preparation to improve the...
s) and the rapid decomposition of the remains (within 6 to 12 months of burial) and the return of the body to life's cycle.
Promession allows for families to be buried in the same plot without disturbing previous remains and meets the requirements of new European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
pollution laws.
"Promession" is derived from the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
word for "promise" (promessa).
External links
News articles about Promession
- http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/news/national-news/121428-ashes-to-ashes,-mulch-to-mulch-worlds-most-eco-friendly-burial-set-for-uk.html worlds most eco friendly burial set for the UK
- http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/community_and_living/bereavement_services/useful_information/promession.aspx East Cheshire Council - Promession
- Centre for Natural Burial, a website providing information about eco-cemeteries and natural burial.
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenerliving/8308791/The-environmentally-friendly-burial-pioneer.html The environmentally friendly burial Pioneer