Promession is an idea of how to dispose
human remains by way of
freeze drying
Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, thereby removing the ice by sublimation. This is in contrast to dehydration by ...
. The concept of promession was developed by
Swedish biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, who derived the name from the
Italian word for "promise" (''promessa'').
She founded Promessa Organic AB in 1997 to commercially pursue her idea.
The company went bankrupt in 2015 without being able to produce a functioning facility.
The idea of promession is questioned and not a functional method according to critics.
Process
The idea of promession involves five steps:
#
Coffin
A coffin or casket is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, for burial, entombment or cremation. Coffins are sometimes referred to as caskets, particularly in American English.
A distinction is commonly drawn between "coffins" a ...
separation: the body is placed into the chamber
# Cryogenic freezing:
liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen (LN2) is nitrogen in a liquid state at cryogenics, low temperature. Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of about . It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is a colorless, mobile liquid whose vis ...
at −196
°C crystallizes the body
# Vibration: the body is disintegrated into particles within minutes
# Freeze drying: particles are freeze dried in a drying chamber, leaving approximately 30% of the original weight
# Metal separation: any metals (e.g., tooth
amalgam,
artificial hips, etc.) are removed, either by magnetism or by
sieving. The dry powder is placed in a
biodegradable
Biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. It is generally assumed to be a natural process, which differentiates it from composting. Composting is a human-driven process in which biodegrada ...
casket which is interred in the top
layers of soil, where aerobic bacteria decompose the remains into
humus
In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...
in as little as 6–12 months.
Criticism
Promession as a functional method is questioned. No facility for promession has been built or put into service. Critics argue that there is a physical impossibility to atomize a freeze dried human body in this way.
Current status
Promessa Organic AB was liquidated in 2015 without being able to produce a functioning module or facility.
See also
*
Alkaline hydrolysis (death custom)
*
Natural burial
Natural burial is the interment of the body of a dead person in the soil in a manner that does not inhibit decomposition but allows the body to be naturally recycled. It is an alternative to burial methods and funerary customs.
The body may be ...
References
External links
Promessa website
{{Death
Death customs
Biodegradable waste management
1997 introductions
Italian words and phrases