Promession

Promession is a proposed form of burial in which human remains are disposed by way of freeze drying.

The concept of promession was developed as an environmentally friendly method of burial by Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, who derived the name from the Italian word for "promise" (promessa).^[1] She founded Promessa Organic AB in 1997 to commercially pursue her idea.^[2]

Promession involves five steps:

1. The body is frozen by immersion in liquid nitrogen to make it brittle
2. The frozen remains are shattered by vibration
3. The remains are then subjected to a vacuum so that the ice sublimes and the powder becomes dry, weighing 50% to 70% less than the original body
4. Any metals (e.g., tooth amalgam, artificial hips, etc.) are removed, either by magnetism or by sieving
5. The dry powder is placed in a biodegradable casket which is interred in the top layers of soil, where aerobic bacteria decompose the remains into humus in as little as 12 months

Current status

From 2004, trials have been performed on pigs, and AGA Gas developed a proof-of-concept. However a third party is needed to enter into an agreement with Promessa to order the equipment needed for promession of human cadavers.

Some independent attempts to reproduce Promessa's early results have so far been unsuccessful, which the original innovators claim is dues to a lack of skills in cryogenic freezing and vibration technology.

The BBC has shown a proof of concept to work^[3] with relatively simple means.

Wiigh-Mäsak had received expressions of interest from more than 60 countries, including Vietnam, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States.^[1] In South Korea, the technology was expressly legalized.^[2]

Public opinion

An opinion poll run by Ny Teknik in Sweden showed support for promession.^[4] In a popularity contest among about 70 innovative companies in Sweden, Promessa was judged the most popular.^[5]

References

See also

• Natural burial