Process and apparatus for preserving animal and plant matter

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRESERVING ANIMAL AND PLANT MATTER BY RETARDING THE RESPIRATION RATE OF SAID MATTER CONTAINED WITHIN A REFRIGERATED STORAGE CHAMBER, THE RETARDATION BEING EFFECTED BY CONTROLLING THE CONTENT OF OXYGEN AND RESPIRATION PRODUCTS IN THE STORAGE ATMOSPHERE AS IT IS CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATED THROUGH A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED CIRCUIT INCLUDING SAID CHAMBER, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE SEQUENTIAL STEPS OF: (A) REMOVING A PORTION OF SAID STORAGE ATMOSPHERE FROM SAID CHAMBER, (B) PURIFYING SAID ATMOSPHERE PORTION BY REMOVING CARBON DIOXIDE AND OTHER RESPIRATION PRODUCTS OF SAID MATTER FROM SAID PORTION TO PROVIDE A PURIFIED PORTION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF NITROGEN AND OXYGEN, (C) OXIDIZING A LESS-THAN-STOICHIOMETRIC QUANTITY OF OXYGEN-COMBUSTION FUEL IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID PURIFIED ATMOSPHERE PORTION TO REDUCE THE OXYGEN CONTENT THEREOF AND RESULTING IN A GASEOUS MIXTURE INCLUDING NITROGEN, OXYGEN AND WATER VAPOR, AND (D) CAUSING SAID RESULTANT GASEOUS MIXTURE TO FLOW INTO SAID CHAMBER TO ULTIMATELY PROVIDE A STORAGE ATMOSPHERE HAVING A PREDETERMINED OXYGEN CONTENT LOWER THAN THAT NORMALLY FOUND IN ATMOSPHERIC AIR, SAID OXYGEN CONTENT BEING DETERMINED BY THE SPECIFIC TYPE OF MATTER BEING PRESERVED IN SAID STORAGE CHAMBER