Patent Application
20220290859
The invention relates to a perfected cremation process.
The cremation of a human body or, more generally, of any animal, represents a method that is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to the traditional burial process.
The cremation process usually involves placing a mortuary coffin or casket, inside which the corpse to be cremated is placed, inside a crematorium oven usually equipped with two overlapping parts, separated by a grid of refractory material.
The coffin is introduced into the upper part of the oven by means of metal guides and, subsequently, the combustion reaction is initiated.
The combustion of the coffin can take place according to different systems, which comprise bringing the walls of the oven to a red heat by means of electrical resistances or gas burners, or by using direct flame.
The temperatures reached inside the oven, which are around 800-1000° C., allow initiating an organic water evaporation process followed by the gasification of the body's organic substances, the combustion of the gases produced and the remaining solid compounds, until ashes and calcified bones are obtained which progressively fall into the lower part of the oven where combustion is completed.
There is normally a ventilation system that continuously introduces air and therefore oxygen to encourage the continuation of combustion.
Then, the operator checks the inside of the oven through a peephole and, if the degradation of the coffin and the corpse in its inside is completed, pushes the remains of the body from the outside towards a cooling area where the remains are collected and placed on a vibrating sieve, which eliminates the finest dust.
Finally, magnetic means separate the remaining metallic material (casket nails, any prostheses, etc.) and the ashes thus formed are collected, sealed and delivered to relatives.
The cremation process is therefore represented by a sequence of events, each with its own speed which depends on the chemical kinetics, the temperature, the physical arrangement of the components and/or the availability of reagents.
Disadvantageously, one of the drawbacks most felt by the operators of this sector consists in the time necessary for carrying out the cremation process.
In fact, a cremation process can usually last from 90 to 180 minutes overall.
These values represent a great limitation to the effective potentials of a crematorium plant because, in addition to limiting the daily productivity which hardly exceeds 9 cremations per day, it also negatively affects the amount of fuel necessary to maintain the combustion reaction.
It is known that the combustion speed depends on a multiplicity of factors such as, for example, the effective diffusion of the comburent air towards the surface of the coffin which, having a parallelepiped shape, has a limited surface in relation to the high volume.
This conformational characteristic negatively affects the time required to carry out combustion precisely because the combustion process is initiated by the surface.
In fact, it is known that the combustion speed of the coffin increases considerably after the degradation and collapse of at least part of its outer surface, during the combustion reaction, because exactly from that moment the surface of the coffin actually involved in the combustion reaction is greater.
More specifically, in fact, the carbonization reaction advances perpendicularly to the surfaces exposed to contact with air and with a constant speed, which can vary from 0.5 mm/min (for oak coffins) to 0.7 mm/min (for spruce coffins), that is a time of about 25 minutes when the thickness to be degraded is about 15 mm.
Furthermore, disadvantageously, the charred layer has a low thermal conductivity and protects the underlying wood layers from heat, which therefore maintain their intrinsic mechanical characteristics.
Still disadvantageously, the presence of this charred layer on the surface in contact with the air causes a temperature of about 100-300° C. to be maintained in the layers underlying this charred layer, causing a slow degradation of the wood present therein.
This phenomenon is related to the intrinsic properties of wood, in particular to the reduced thermal conductivity thereof, to the high specific heat and to the consistent moisture content.
Last but not least, the charred surface layer reduces the flow of oxygen to the underlying layers, causing a further decrease in their combustion speed.
A possible solution to this drawback is the one described in patent application EP3318802, in which it is reported to modify the structure of the crematorium oven by creating pipes for injecting a gaseous oxidizing agent, i.e., oxygen, directly inside the casket.
This solution makes it possible to reduce the total time required for the cremation process up to 15%.
However, this solution has many drawbacks.
A first drawback is represented by the need to structurally modify the oven as a whole in order to be able to install the aforementioned pipe and a series of air ducts to be connected to the pipe itself.
These structural modifications obviously need to be carried out when the oven is off and with the support of specialized personnel, with consequent waste of time and high construction costs.
A further drawback of this solution is represented by the limited production life of the pipe which, being at the same time engaged in the distribution of gas and in breaking the coffin, will need frequent replacements due to its own deterioration.
Still disadvantageously, this solution does not allow to adequately solve the problem of the scarce diffusion of oxygen in the layers underlying the surface of the wood, and from the kinetic point of view it does not enable oxygen to establish an efficient contact with the surface of the coffin, since it is diffused in the form of gas almost uniformly in the internal volume of the oven.
Last but not least, this solution entails disadvantageously having to foresee additional management costs for the crematorium plant due to the necessary supply and storage operations of the liquid oxygen.
The present invention intends to carry out a cremation process of rapid implementation which, in addition, overcomes the limitations and drawbacks of the prior art indicated above.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a perfected cremation process which allows improving the performance of the crematorium ovens, both from an operational point of view, reducing the time of the single cremation process, and from an economic point of view, increasing the daily productivity of the oven.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention that this process can be applied independently of the conformational structure of the crematorium oven which is available.
Furthermore, it is an object of the invention that the aforementioned cremation process is not dangerous for the environment and, in particular, that it does not present a risk of explosions and that it does not cause the introduction of dangerous compounds into the environment.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention that this cremation process promotes the destruction of the wooden planks of the casket and the reduction of the time necessary for combustion.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention that the aforementioned cremation process is reliable, safe, economical and easily executable by the operators in charge of the cremation in the crematorium ovens known per se.
Last but not least, it is an object of the present invention that the cremation process respect the formal and ethical requirements in the treatment of the corpse.
Said purposes are achieved with the realization of a cremation process, in accordance with the main claim.
Further characteristics of the process are described in the dependent claims.
The object of the invention is also an article for accelerating a cremation process and a kit for the accelerated combustion of a mortuary coffin.
The aforementioned purposes, together with the advantages which will be mentioned below, will be better highlighted during the description of some preferred embodiments of the invention which are given, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, where:
The perfected cremation process, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, is carried out in a fuelled crematorium oven known per se, suitable for carrying out the combustion of a mortuary coffin and the cremation of the corpse contained therein, and comprises the following operations, to be performed in succession:
The quantification of the time necessary to carry out the degradation of the mortuary coffin, i.e., until ashes and calcified bones are obtained in a quality substantially suitable to be then destined for relatives, is an evaluation that can be performed according to methods known per se for an expert in the sector, such as the crematorium oven operator who is able to visually check the evolution of the combustion process inside the oven.
Usually, the operation of conducting the combustion reaction comprises, in sequence, the operations of:
After the conduction operation, the ashes resulting from the degradation of the mortuary coffin and the corpse are preferably collected and the temperature of the internal part of the oven is brought back to the initial values.
If necessary, the arrangement, initiating and conduction operations are repeated for each new and subsequent mortuary coffin that is subjected to cremation in the crematorium oven.
Finally, the oven is cooled down to a temperature suitable to allow it to be switched off.
According to the preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, before the aforementioned combustion initiating operation, an accelerant is placed on the outer surface of the mortuary coffin.
The accelerant of the present invention comprises a compound selected from the alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, ammonium salts, alkali metal peroxides and alkaline earth metal peroxides.
Preferably, said accelerant comprises from 10 to 99.9% by weight, more preferably from 50 to 99.9% by weight, even more preferably from 90 to 99.9% by weight, based on the total weight of the accelerant of the aforementioned compound.
It is specified that in the accelerant of the present invention, the remaining percentage necessary for the balance to 100% by weight consists of inevitable impurities and/or compounds with inert action of the type known per se in the chemical sector.
Advantageously, the use of this accelerant in the cremation process of the invention significantly accelerates the kinetics of the combustion reaction, rapidly supplying oxygen and promoting the destruction of the wooden layer which constitutes the coffin.
The use of the accelerant of the invention therefore allows to reduce the time necessary for the realization of the single cremation process, increasing the daily productivity of the crematorium oven.
The aforementioned compound is preferably selected from nitrates, chlorates, perchlorates, permanganates and peroxides, in particular nitrates, chlorates, perchlorates, permanganates and peroxides of potassium, sodium, ammonium, barium, lithium.
These compounds are oxidizing compounds which, exposed to the heat of the crematorium oven, react by releasing oxygen which promotes the combustion and destruction of the wood of the coffin, accelerating the total combustion with respect to known cremation processes.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the accelerant comprises an alkali metal nitrate.
The use of potassium nitrate is particularly preferred.
The use of potassium nitrate is in fact particularly advantageous for use in the cremation process because, surprisingly, it is able to accelerate the combustion reaction of the mortuary coffin even without using the direct flame.
As can be seen from the results of Example 4, in fact, the use of potassium nitrate as an accelerant of the process of the invention allows initiating the combustion reaction of the surface of the mortuary coffin starting from reaching about 700° C. in the absence of the burner flame, and by carrying out the combustion directly on the surface of the wood of the coffin, producing a strong localized combustion heat, advantageously accelerating the gasification process and the consequent kinetics of the combustion reaction.
Once the combustion reaction is initiated, it continues quickly and without further intervention by the oven operators and without the need to operate burners or direct flames.
An advantageous energy saving when using the crematorium plant is thus obtained.
In particular, potassium nitrate was found to initiate the combustion reaction thanks to the radiant heat of the oven when the temperature of the latter reaches about 400° C., preferably about 600° C., more preferably about 715° C.
Still advantageously, potassium nitrate is a compound considered safe which does not require particular precautions in handling, transporting or storing.
Furthermore, the combustion reaction of the mortuary coffin carried out in the presence of potassium nitrate does not produce substances deemed dangerous for the environment or which could damage the crematorium oven itself, as can be seen from the results of comparative example 2.
As can be seen from the examples below, in the process according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the initiation of the combustion reaction of the cover of the mortuary coffin occurs in a time of less than 4 minutes, preferably less than 2 minutes, when the temperature inside the oven is above 400° C., preferably between 650 and 800° C.
Furthermore, advantageously, with the cremation process of the present invention, the time required for the demolition of the outer surface of the mortuary coffin is between 1 and 8 minutes, preferably between 1 and 3 minutes starting from the initiation of the combustion reaction. In comparison with the known cremation processes, moreover, the time necessary to achieve the combustion of the cover of the coffin, i.e., the time of demolition of the cover, in the process of the invention can be reduced up to 90%, as highlighted by the results of the example 3 and comparative example 1.
Preferably but not necessarily, the accelerant further comprises from 0.1 to 90% by weight, based on the total weight of the accelerant, of one or more co-formulants.
These co-formulants are preferably of natural origin.
They preferably have the function of stabilizers, non-agglomerating agents or accelerators of the combustion reaction.
Among the compounds with non-agglomerating function, the compounds which facilitate the distribution of the compound of the invention and which are active at high temperatures, such as, by way of example not to be considered as limitating, talc, silica, fumed silica, sodium silicate, bentonite and/or polydimethylsiloxane are preferred.
As to the co-formulants with reaction accelerating function, they are preferably selected from oxides, sulphates and bicromates, more preferably from metal oxides, metal sulphates and metal bicromates, even more preferably from iron oxides, iron sulphates and potassium bicromates.
Among iron oxides, ferric oxide is preferred.
When the co-formulant is a metal oxide, it is preferably present in an amount comprised between 0.5% and 7% by weight, more preferably between 1% and 5% by weight, based on the total weight of the accelerant.
Furthermore, such co-formulants could comprise substances and incenses as a symbol of solemnity and honour to the person.
It is not excluded that, according to alternative embodiments of the invention, the co-formulants may comprise compounds which partially reduce the combustion reaction speed, such as, by way of example not to be considered as limitating, mixtures of water, oxamides and polyacrylates.
Furthermore, it is not excluded that according to alternative embodiments of the invention, such co-formulants comprise other substances known for use in the combustion processes.
Still, it is not excluded that in alternative embodiments of the invention such co-formulants are not present.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the accelerant is in the form of micropellets, each of which has dimensions ranging from 0.2 to 5 mm, preferably from 0.5 to 3 mm.
Advantageously, the micropellet form allows the accelerant of the invention to present a greater interaction surface with the wood of the mortuary coffin, promoting its destruction by combustion.
Still advantageously, the use of the accelerant in micropellet form in the process of the invention promotes the diffusion of heat between the particles of the accelerant itself to further speed up the process.
In particular, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the accelerant is used in an amount comprised between 0.4 and 4 kg, preferably between 1 and 3.5 kg, for each mortuary coffin to be burned in the crematorium oven. When the thickness of the outer surface of the mortuary coffin is comprised between 1 and 3 cm, preferably about 2 cm, the best results in terms of combustion times are obtained if the accelerant is used in an amount between 3 and 4 kg, preferably about 3.5 kg.
In fact, the applicants have advantageously identified that in order to achieve a total combustion in the short times indicated above, of a wooden surface of medium density and thickness of about 2 cm of a mortuary coffin, the accelerant is placed on the outer surface of the aforementioned coffin so as to form a layer of about 18-25 mm of thickness, corresponding to about 2-3.2 g of accelerant per cm2 of surface up to cover a surface of about 1000-1400 cm2.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, this amount of accelerant is arranged on the outer surface of the cover of the mortuary coffin, so that it can be stably placed on the cover before putting the coffin inside the oven or, alternatively, when the coffin has already been placed inside the oven, before initiating the combustion reaction.
According to the preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, the accelerant is contained in an article 1 comprising a casing 10 or a substrate of combustible material.
A first embodiment of the article 1 of the invention is shown, by way of example not to be considered as limitating, in
The aforementioned article 1, according to this first embodiment, comprises a casing 10 of combustible material, preferably cellulose, cardboard or paper.
A plurality of chambers 11 is identified inside the casing 10, each chamber being isolated from the external environment and from the other chambers 11 by a plurality of partition walls P.
Each of those chambers 11 preferably has a substantially prismatic shape with hexagonal base, as shown in
Preferably but not necessarily, the casing 10 has a substantially prismatic shape, as shown in
It is specified that in the process of the invention the article 1 is used in a closed configuration, i.e., with the aforementioned cover closing the casing, as shown in
It is not excluded, however, that according to alternative embodiments of the invention this casing has a different shape from what is specified.
According to the aforementioned first embodiment of the article 1, in each of these chambers 11 at least a part of the accelerant of the invention is contained, as shown in
The chamber configuration of the article 1 advantageously allows distributing the accelerant of the invention substantially on the entire surface of the bottom of the casing homogeneously, i.e., in such a way that the accelerant is subdivided in a regular way, on an extended surface, promoting the interaction of the agent with the cover of the mortuary coffin and therefore further accelerating the combustion.
Further advantageously, the use of the accelerant contained in the article 1 allows preventing the accelerant from dripping along the side walls of the mortuary coffin and settling on the bottom of the crematorium oven during the initiation and conduction of the combustion reaction.
In fact, during the cremation process of the invention, the accelerant passes from the solid form to the liquid form which can drip on the bottom of the oven, decreasing its accelerating capacity of the combustion reaction.
A second embodiment of the article 1 also forms part of the invention, not shown in the figures.
According to this second embodiment of the article 1, the casing 10 is a bag made of combustible material, preferably a combustible and biodegradable material, more preferably a material deriving from biodegradable bio-based polymers. Inside this bag there is a predefined amount of the accelerant of the invention.
Preferably, during the cremation process of the invention, the aforementioned bag containing the accelerant is arranged on the outer surface of the mortuary coffin together with a support element 20 shown in
In particular, this support element 20 comprises a resting plane 21 provided with a plurality of through holes 21a and delimited perimetrically by a frame 22.
As visible in
Preferably, the aforementioned perforated resting plane 21 is spaced from the upper perimeter edge a and from the lower perimeter edge b of the frame 22 so as to take on an intermediate position between these perimeter edges a, b. This intermediate position allows defining an upper zone, delimited laterally by the upper part of the aforementioned frame 22 and below from the resting plane 21 which is adapted to support the bag with the accelerant. Furthermore, this intermediate position allows the perforated resting plane 21 to be spaced from the outer surface of the mortuary coffin when the support element 20 is used in the cremation process of the invention.
Advantageously, during the process of the invention, the bag containing the accelerant is positioned on the perforated resting plane 21 of the support element 20 which, in turn, is placed on the outer surface of the mortuary coffin.
In this way, during combustion, the bag degrades due to the high temperatures reached and the accelerant contained therein, thanks to the frame 22 and the distance present between the outer surface of the coffin and the perforated resting plane 21, forcibly drips through the holes 21a on the cover of the mortuary coffin, interacting therewith and accelerating its combustion.
Preferably, the support element 20 is made of non-combustible material, preferably of metallic material, more preferably stainless steel, so as not to be degraded during the cremation process and therefore can be advantageously used in several different cremation cycles.
It is not excluded that, according to alternative embodiments of the invention, the accelerant is contained in the aforementioned bag and that the latter is placed directly on the surface of the mortuary coffin, without therefore using the support element 20.
A kit for the accelerated combustion of a mortuary coffin in a cremation process, in particular in a cremation process using a crematorium oven, is also part of the present invention.
The kit of the invention comprises at least one bag of combustible material, preferably of combustible and biodegradable material, containing the accelerant described above.
The kit of the invention further comprises at least one support element 20 as described above, including the variants.
It is specified that a third embodiment of the article 1 is also part of the present invention, not shown in the figures. According to this third embodiment, the article 1 comprises a substrate of combustible material containing a predefined amount of the accelerant of the invention.
In particular, the substrate comprises one or more layers of combustible material, wherein at least one of these layers is impregnated with the accelerant.
Advantageously, such combustible material is also a flexible material such that, when the article 1 comprising the aforementioned substrate impregnated with an accelerant is placed on the outer surface of the mortuary coffin for the process of the invention, it can adapt to the profile of the latter, promoting the interaction of the agent with the cover of the coffin, accelerating its combustion.
Still advantageously, the article 1 comprising the aforementioned substrate impregnated with an accelerant, is also suitable for use in those cremation processes where the corpse to be cremated is placed inside a crematorium oven without the interposition of a mortuary coffin.
In fact, this impregnated substrate, being made of flexible material, is adapted to be placed directly on the corpse or below the corpse or even by wrapping the aforementioned corpse adapting to its profile, avoiding accidentally moving away therefrom when it is inserted inside of the crematorium oven for cremation operations.
Moreover, thanks to the presence of the accelerant, the aforementioned substrate performs the accelerating function of the cremation operations of the corpse itself.
An example of such cremation processes which do not involve the use of a mortuary coffin comprises the cremation process of animals, in particular pets.
Coming back to the third embodiment of the article 1 of the invention, the aforementioned substrate comprises a fabric or a non-woven fabric impregnated with the accelerant of the invention.
By way of example, not to be considered as a limitation, the substrate may comprise an animal fibre fabric such as wool or silk, or a vegetable fibre such as linen, cotton, hemp, jute, raffia, ramie, kapok, kenaf, bamboo, brown sugar, sisal, etc.
A method not to be considered as a limitation for making such a substrate comprises the following steps:
It is not excluded that, according to embodiments of the invention, the aforementioned substrate is impregnated with the accelerant by means of techniques other than those reported.
Furthermore, it is not excluded that, according to embodiments of the invention, the substrate is made of a material other than that reported, provided that this material is a combustible and flexible material adapted to be impregnated with the accelerant of the invention, for example a bio-based biodegradable polymer.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will appear upon reading the following examples, which must be considered as illustrative and not limiting, and in which five mortuary coffins have been subjected to cremation with or without the accelerant of the invention, in a fuelled crematorium oven.
In the following examples, the determination of the demolition time of the cover of the mortuary coffin was assessed by detecting the time required for the collapse of at least a part of the cover of the mortuary coffin inside the same coffin.
1 kg of accelerant in micropellets consisting of 98% by weight of potassium nitrate and of 2% by weight of inevitable impurities, based on the total weight of the agent, was inserted inside a plurality of chambers isolated from the external environment, defined inside a parallelepiped cardboard casing.
The casing was then surrounded by a frame of metallic material and placed on top of a fir wood mortuary coffin with each outer surface, including the cover, having a thickness corresponding to about 2.5 cm.
Such a metallic frame was used to allow the determination of the demolition time of the cover of the mortuary coffin, i.e., the time elapsed from the start of the combustion initiating operation until the fall of this frame inside the coffin due to the collapse of a part of the cover following the degradation caused by combustion.
The mortuary coffin with the casing was then inserted into a fuelled crematorium oven which was heated by igniting burners.
The initiation of the combustion reaction occurred about 1.38 minutes after reaching an internal temperature of the oven of 715° C. and the demolition time was 2.25 minutes from the initiation of the reaction.
At the end of the cremation process, the mortuary coffin was removed from the oven and the internal walls of the latter were assessed to determine the presence of any solid waste material deriving from the combustion of the accelerant. No waste material resulting from the accelerant was found.
0.5 kg of accelerant as indicated in example 1 were placed on a mortuary coffin that was inserted in a fuelled crematorium oven similarly to what is indicated in the previous example.
The initiation of the combustion reaction was detected after about 1.21 minutes after reaching a temperature inside the oven of 718° C. The demolition time was 6.37 minutes from the initiation of the reaction.
No waste material deriving from the accelerant was found at the end of the cremation process.
1 kg of accelerant as indicated in example 1 was placed on a mortuary coffin which was inserted in a crematorium oven as indicated in example 1, except for the fact that the enclosure was not surrounded by the metallic frame.
The initiation of the combustion reaction was instantaneous when a temperature inside the oven of 740° C. was reached. The demolition time was 1.2 minutes from the initiation of the reaction.
No waste material resulting from the accelerant was found.
1 kg of accelerant as indicated in example 1 was placed on a mortuary coffin which was inserted in a crematorium oven as indicated in example 1, except for the fact that the enclosure was not surrounded by the metallic frame and the burners of the crematorium oven were not ignited in order to assess the effect of the radiant temperature of the crematorium oven on the cremation process of the invention.
The initiation of the combustion reaction was detected after about 1.21 minutes after reaching a temperature inside the oven of 718° C. The demolition time was 2.26 minutes from the initiation of the reaction.
A fir wood mortuary coffin, with each outer surface, including the cover, having a thickness corresponding to about 2.5 cm, similar to the mortuary coffins used in examples 1-4, without the accelerant, was inserted inside of a fuelled crematorium oven which was heated by igniting the burners.
The initiation of the combustion reaction occurred about 10 minutes after reaching an internal temperature of the oven of 660° C. and the demolition time was 12 minutes from the initiation of the reaction.
1 kg of accelerant as indicated in example 1 was placed on the plane of refractory material, previously cleaned, inside a fuelled crematorium oven to assess the reaction of the combustion of the accelerant of the invention with the internal walls of the crematorium oven.
The combustion process, carried out at a temperature of about 700° C., was carried out for a duration of about 10 minutes.
At the end of the process, 90% of the accelerant resulted as having reacted.
The remaining 10% of the accelerant was found on the plane of refractory material inside the oven in the form of removable dust by using the shovel for collecting ashes.
There were no evident damages or reactions due to the contact between the accelerant and the internal walls and the refractory plane of the crematorium oven.
Therefore, based on the above, the present invention has achieved all of the predetermined objects.
In particular, the object of realizing a cremation process of rapid implementation which improves the performance of the crematorium ovens, both from an operational point of view reducing the time of the single cremation process, and from an economical point of view increasing the daily productivity of the oven has been achieved.
Furthermore, the cremation process of the invention can be carried out in any crematorium oven known per se, independently of the conformational structure of the oven itself.
Furthermore, the cremation process of the invention does not cause the introduction of dangerous compounds into the environment other than those produced in a cremation process known per se, and moreover, if conducted according to what previously reported, it does not present an explosion risk.
Furthermore, the cremation process of the invention allows obtaining a rapid destruction of the wooden planks of the mortuary coffin increasing the surface actually hit by the flames of the burners and decreasing the time required for combustion.
Furthermore, the cremation process of the invention is reliable, safe, repeatable, economical and easily achievable by the operators in charge of the cremation in the crematorium ovens known per se.
Last but not least, the cremation process of the present invention respects the formal and ethical requirements in the treatment of the corpse, not mechanically intervening on the body and not using substances not accepted by the common feeling.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102019000001513 | Feb 2019 | IT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2020/050698 | 1/29/2020 | WO |
