High tech alternative to cremation

An environmentally friendly alternative to cremation and burial has been developed by scientists who have found a way of freeze-drying corpses and then shattering the remains to create a soil-enriching dust.

The proposals by a Swedish ecologist have already won provisional approval from the Church of Sweden.

The Church of England would probably accept the procedure, provided that it was conducted in a dignified manner, said a spokesman.

Susanne Wiigh-Masak, a Swedish environmental consultant, immersed animal carcasses in liquid nitrogen at minus 196 deg C while bombarding them with ultrasound waves so they froze to the core and applying a vacuum removed any remaining water.

A body was reduced to about a quarter of its weight and the powder could be placed in a biodegradable coffin and buried, New Scientist reported.