Researching the Industrial Possibility of Cryomation Automation; the Zero Emission Alternative to Cremation

At current global mortality rates over 60 million people will die this year. Cremation is the leading funeral process in the world. Cremating a 100kg body produces 180kg of CO2 as well as atmospheric pollution with heavy metals. Traditional Burial with its memorials, cemeteries and ongoing maintenance has the greatest long term impact on the environment of all funeral processes. The world population is forecast to grow to over nine billion by 2050. Cryomation is a zero emission alternative to Cremation, developed through an award winning KTP at the University of Hertfordshire, which uses Liquid Nitrogen, freeze drying and accelerated composting to produce sterile human remains. The process has no fossil fuel burning incinerators, no harmful effluent streams and the remains can be buried in a much smaller space than other burial processes. The remains disappear to nothing, so burial land can be reused. The remains are ideal for “green” funerals and burial under trees, remains can be scattered or taken home in a pot, supporting the life of a memorial plant. Having proven the science behind the process under the KTP and after confirming the feasibility of delivering the process commercially, as well as the consumer and industry support for Cryomation, through an Innovate UK Smart funded proof of market project, Cryomation now need to confirm the engineering challenges in delivering the automated cryogenic batch process can be overcome, before moving to a full prototype build.