WO2008147293A1

WO2008147293A1 - Container

Info

Publication number: WO2008147293A1
Application number: PCT/SE2008/000372
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ake Rosen
Original assignee: Aktec Development Ltd
Priority date: 2007-06-01
Filing date: 2008-05-30
Publication date: 2008-12-04
Also published as: SE0701323L; SE531247C2

Abstract

The invention concerns a container for human and animal remains in a freeze-dried and disintegrated state. The container comprises a first and a second part, which when joined together form a closed volume. The parts are made of a material that is degradable upon exposure to moisture and that comprises a polyolefin binder and a mineral-based filler. The container comprises access means, which at least upon exposure to moisture connect said closed volume with the surroundings.

Description

CONTAINER

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a container for human and animal remains in a freeze-dried and disintegrated state, comprising a first and a second part, which when joined together form a closed volume and which are made of a material that is degradable upon exposure to moisture and that comprises a polyolefin binder and a mineral-based filler, said container comprising access means, which at least upon exposure to moisture connect said closed volume with the surroundings.

Background Art

There are today basically two generally accepted alternatives for disposing of human and animal remains, either a coffin funeral with interment of the coffin in a specific grave, or cremation followed by spreading of the ashes or interment of the urn and the ashes. In the case of interment, the remains are usually placed at a depth of

1.8 to 2 metres, where, in the absence of oxygen, a time-consuming anaerobic decomposition takes place under the influence of sulphur- producing microorganisms. Decomposition is slowed down by the anaerobic- process as such, but also by the materials that make up the coffin and the urn, respectively. Moreover, it is generally very difficult for the surrounding vegetation to assimilate the nutrients that are precipitated at that depth.

In the case of cremation, on the other hand, ashes rich in mineral are produced which may be spread or interred in an urn at a depth such that an aerobic decomposition takes place and the vegetation is able to easily assimilate the nutrients. The drawbacks of cremation are, however, the release of toxic substances such as mercury, the considerable consumption of fuel, for instance in the form of fuel oil, and the production of large amounts of carbon dioxide during combustion.

With reference to WO01 /40727, a process known as promession will be described below. The process consists in subjecting the coffin containing the remains to a two-step freezing process followed by freeze-drying and disintegration, whereupon the pieces are gathered and placed in a degradable container for final interment. The container disclosed is a container made of degradable board or peat. The idea behind this type of process and container is to enable interment of the remains at a depth of about 25 cm, at which depth aerobic decomposition is rendered possible. This results in a considerably faster decomposition process and a process which allows the surrounding soil and vegetation to better and more easily assimilate the precipi- tated nutrients. One drawback of this method is, however, that the remains have, in their natural state, a lower pH value than the surrounding soil, which causes an acidifying effect on the surrounding soil.

Objects of the Present Invention The object of the present invention is to provide an alternative container that enables interment at a depth at which aerobic decomposition of the remains and the container is rendered possible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of a kind that enables rapid decomposition of both the container and the remains. Yet another object is to enable use of the container for interments on land as well as at sea.

Summary of the Invention

To achieve at least one of the above objects and other non-stated ob- jects which will appear from the following description, the present invention concerns a container for human and animal remains in a freeze-dried and disintegrated state, comprising a first and a second part, which when joined together form a closed volume and which are made of a material that is de- gradable upon exposure to moisture and that comprises a polyolefin binder and a mineral-based filler, said container comprising access means, which at least upon exposure to moisture connect said closed volume with the surroundings.

The container according to the invention is thus intended for both animal and human remains which have been subjected to a freeze-drying proc- ess with subsequent disintegration. In the freeze-drying process, the water content is reduced to such a degree that the remains may be stored odourless in the container in a dry place without the container starting to decompose. Through disintegration the specific surface area of the remains is increased, which accelerates the subsequent decomposition. By combining freeze-drying with disintegration, the total volume and weight of the remains can be reduced. Freeze-drying, for example, allows a reduction of the moisture content by 95%. The container and its parts are made of a material that comprises a polyolefin binder and a mineral-based filler. This offers a number of advantages. The material is degradable when exposed to moisture, which is the case for interment on land or at sea. Owing to the mineral-based filler, the material further has a higher pH value than the actual remains, which are themselves acid, and this enables the pH value of the remains to be raised and has a favourable effect on the surrounding environment in terms of reduced acidification. Moreover, once degraded the material introduces no impurities that are themselves foreign to nature, since the polyolefin is con- verted into carbon dioxide and water, while the mineral-based filler is simply returned to nature regardless of whether the container is used for interment on land or at sea. Furthermore, all the raw materials used to make up the material are lightweight and readily available at a low cost. In addition, the material has excellent workability, which offers a high degree of freedom in design- ing the container.

By the container comprising access means, which connect said closed volume, and thereby its contents, with the surroundings, a large contact area is rapidly formed of the moisture with the container interior and the remains, respectively, to achieve rapid and efficient decomposition. The moisture may be the natural moisture content of the surrounding soil or, alternatively, the water in which the container is submerged, depending on whether the interment takes place on land or at sea.

Should the remains decompose faster than the container, the latter will protect the remains against any predators. The access means may be perforations or openings, through which the moisture in the medium in which the container is interred may penetrate directly and unimpeded and both mix with the remains and enter into contact with the inside of the container in order to speed up the decomposition of both the container and the remains. The access means may comprise membranes. The membranes may either be arranged over pre-formed perforations/openings that serve as access means or be provided in the form of wall portions with smaller wali thickness. Advantageously, the membranes may be made of a material that decomposes upon exposure to moisture, such as EVOH or starch. The container may be made of a material that further contains starch.

Starch is a material which occurs naturally in nature and which binds moisture and is rapidly degraded thereby. The decomposition speed may be regulated by the amount of starch.

The container may be produced by injection moulding, thermoforming, blow moulding or profile extrusion. These are all methods that offer a high degree of freedom in the geometric designing of the container, which is something that may be exploited on the one hand to give the container an aesthetically appealing design and, on the other, to integrate sealing means such as locks and threads in the container parts.

The container parts may have a thickness of 1-6 mm. The thickness may be selected based, for one thing, on the desired strength and manageability and, for another, on the desired decomposition speed.

If the container is intended for interment at sea, the material of which it is made may have a density of 2-4 kg/dm³, which is sufficient to make the container sink when submerged. The container parts may be made of a laminate comprising a layer that has a longer decomposition time than the other layers. This is advantageous in the cases where the container is intended for use in countries/environments with a moist climate as it prolongs storage life prior to use.

Furthermore, the material of which the container parts are made may comprise organic fibres. The organic fibres produce, by themselves or in combination with the mineral-based filler, a hygroscopic effect, which by capillary action conducts moisture from the surrounding medium (soil or water) to the closed volume of the container. The organic fibres may consist of chopped vegetable fibres, such as hemp or flax.

Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described in more detail below for the purpose of exemplification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of part of a cross-section of a container ac- cording to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of part of a cross-section of a container according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the material. Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of the material. Technical Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of part of a cross-section of a container 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The container 1 comprises a bottom-forming part 2 and a lid-forming part 3. The parts 2, 3 are made of a mix of a binder in the form of a polyolefin material such as polyethylene or polypropylene and a mineral-based filler. Examples of mineral-based fillers are lime, marble and dolomite. The total amount of filler may be in the range 50-90% by weight. The filler is in particulate form and may have a homogeneous or non-homogeneous particle structure and particle size. The material may also contain starch. The amount of starch may be varied depending on the desired decomposition speed and may run up to 1-8% by weight.

In the embodiment shown, the two parts 2, 3 comprise locking means 4 in the form of threads, whereby the two parts may be joined together to form a closed volume 5. As an alternative to the locking means 4 illustrated other types of locking means may of course be used, such as different types of snap locks. Depending on the locking means selected, they may be integrated with the parts or be subsequently arranged on the same.

The two parts 2, 3 may be produced, for instance, by injection moulding, thermoforming, blow moulding or profile extrusion. Naturally, the parts 2, 3 may be formed in other ways, for instance by punching sheets and then folding them to form a three-dimensional volume. In the case where profile extrusion is used, it will be appreciated that the extruded profile must be provided with end walls to obtain a closed volume. The manufacturing method may allow a high degree of freedom in the geometric designing of the parts and the container. During manufacture, the container and its parts may, for instance, be provided with ornamental decorations.

As shown, the two parts 2, 3 may be arranged as separate parts, but may just as well be formed in one piece with an intermediate hinge joint.

In the embodiment shown, each part is provided with access means 6 in the form of through perforations 7 or openings which allow the closed volume 5 of the container 1 and its contents to enter into contact with the moisture in the medium (soil or water) in which the container is intended to be interred.

Depending on the size of the access means 6, the penetration of mois- ture may occur directly or by capillary action. This means that also the porosity of the material of which the container parts are made may constitute said access means 6. It will be appreciated therefore that the moisture migration also occurs in and through the material as such.

When the moisture penetrates into the closed volume 5 of the container 1 and mixes with the freeze-dried and disintegrated remains, a rapid absorption of the moisture in the freeze-dried and, thus, dehydrated remains occurs initially at the same time as the inner wall portions 8 of the container are exposed to moisture through the contact with the remains. The exposure to moisture accelerates the decomposition of both the remains and the container. Since the container 1 is intended for interment at a depth of 25 cm, when interred on land, an aerobic decomposition occurs. The decomposition is caused by the fauna in the form of microorganisms, worms, insects, spiders and animals that live at this depth. In the decomposition process, the mineral- based filler helps to raise the pH value of the remains, which themselves are acid, and thereby the pH value of the resulting mouldered material and the surrounding soil.

Referring now to Fig. 2, part of an alternative embodiment of the container 1 according to the invention is illustrated schematically. The difference compared with the embodiment described above lies in the design of the ac- cess means 6. In the embodiment shown, the access means 6 consist of openings 9, which on one side are provided with a thin membrane 10. In the embodiment shown, the membrane 10 is arranged on the outside of the container 1 in the form of a thin layer. The membrane 10 may be made of EVOH or starch or any other material that is rapidly decomposed upon exposure to moisture, so as to form through openings which allow the closed volume of the container to communicate with the surroundings.

By using access means 6 provided with membranes, the individual access means may have a larger opening area, since the membrane serves as a seal which prevents the contents of the container from inadvertently leaking out of the container during handling before and during the interment.

Membranes 10 may also be used to enable ornamentation (not shown) of the container, the ornamentation as such consisting in an aesthetically appealing pattern formed by the access means, which in turn are covered by said membranes to form a tight closed volume. The membrane 10 may be integrated with the container parts or may consist of a separate insert or an external shell. Fig. 3, is a schematic cross-sectional view of a material which is formed as a laminate 11 comprising a layer 12 that in itself has a lower decomposition speed than the surrounding material or material layers. In the embodiment shown, this layer 12 is arranged as an external layer. The use of this type of laminate 11 is advantageous in cases where the container is intended for use in environments characterised by high atmospheric humidity, since it offers prolonged storage time prior to use of the container. The same figure schematically illustrates the binder 13 in combination with a mineral- based filler 14 in particulate form. Referring to Fig. 4, a cross-section through an alternative embodiment of the material is illustrated schematically. The material comprises a binder 13 of polyolefin and a filler, which consists partly of mineral material 14, such as lime, partly of chopped organic fibres 15, such as hemp or flax. The organic fibres produce, by themselves or in combination with the mineral-based filler, a hygroscopic effect, which by capillary action conducts moisture from the surrounding medium (soil or water) to the closed volume of the container and into the container walls.

Advantageously, the container 1 is made with a wall thickness within the range 1-6 mm. In the case where the container 1 is intended for interment at sea, the material may have a density in the range 2-4 kg/dm³, which means that the container will sink to the bottom when submerged. In the case where the container is intended for interment at sea, it will be appreciated that the container is preferably provided with through-going access means to allow rapid sub- mersion.

The container 1 should have a volume that is adapted to the volume of the freeze-dried and disintegrated remains. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the volume may be selected depending on whether the remains come from an adult or a child, alternatively a large or a small animal. In the embodiments shown and described above, the container is divided into two parts. It will be appreciated that it may, of course, be divided into several parts without its function being lost.

As an alternative to the locking means described above, the container parts may also be adapted to be interconnected and sealed in other ways, for instance by heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing. It will be appreciated that the above description of the invention is given by way of example only and that the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A container (1 ) for human and animal remains in a freeze-dried and disintegrated state, comprising a first (2) and a second part (3), which when joined together form a closed volume (5) and which are made of a material that is degradable upon exposure to moisture and that comprises a polyolefin binder (13) and a mineral-based filler (14), said container comprising access means (6), which at least upon exposure to moisture connect said closed volume with the surroundings.

2. A container according to claim 1 , wherein said access means (6) consist of perforations (7) or openings.

3. A container according to claim 1 , wherein said access means (6) comprise membranes (10).

4. A container according to claim 1 , wherein said material further comprises starch.

5. A container according to claim 1 , which is produced by injection moulding, thermoforming, blow moulding or profile extrusion.

6. A container according to claim 1 , wherein said parts (2, 3) have a thickness of 1-6 mm, and more preferred 2-4 mm.

7. A container according to claim 1 , wherein the material of the container has a density of 2-4 kg/dm³.

8. A container according to claim 1 , wherein the container parts are made of a laminate (11 ) comprising an externally applied material layer (12) that has a longer decomposition time than the other layers.

9. A container according to claim 1 , wherein said material further comprises organic fibres (15).