Dead bodies could be freeze-dried, shaken to a fine powder and used as compost under proposals to introduce a new, more eco-friendly method of corpse disposal in the UK.

The process, which is known as promession, has been developed in Sweden and aims to address the shortage of burial spaces and reduce the mercury pollution created by dental fillings during cremation.



The Scottish Executive said last night that promession could be considered in its current review of burial and cremation legislation, after councillors in England revealed they were looking at adopting the procedure.



It involves freezing the coffin and body to -18C before lowering them into liquid nitrogen at -196C, which leaves them extremely brittle.



A vibrating pad is used to reduce the remains to a powder and a magnetic field then removes all traces of mercury and other metal residues from fillings or hip replacements.



The remains are then put into a biodegradable coffin made from vegetable matter and buried in a shallow grave, where they will be absorbed into the earth within six to 12 months.



Loved ones could plant a tree or shrub on top of the grave, to absorb nutrients from the remains, supporters of the promession system suggest.



The cost of the process is expected to be similar to that for a cremation - around one-third of the price of a grave plot and traditional burial.



Although officials south of the Border believe the procedure would breach English cremation laws, legal experts and church leaders in Scotland said they had no objection to the new method of disposing of the dead.



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