Promession


Promession is an idea of how to dispose Disposal of [human corpses|human remains] by way of freeze drying. The concept of promession was developed by Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, who derived the name from the Italian word for "promise". 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. Critics questioned the technical feasibility of the process.

Process

The idea of promession involves five steps:
  1. Coffin separation: the body is placed into the chamber
  2. Cryogenic freezing: liquid nitrogen at −196 °C crystallizes the body
  3. Vibration: the body is disintegrated into particles within minutes
  4. Freeze drying: particles are freeze dried in a drying chamber, leaving approximately 30% of the original weight
  5. Metal separation: any metals are removed, either by magnetism or by sieving. 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 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 constructing a facility.