Alkaline hydrolysis

Alkaline hydrolysis is a process for the disposal of human remains, which its creator states is more ecologically favorable than cremation. The process is being marketed worldwide as an alternative to the traditional options of burial or cremation. As of August 2007^[update], about 1,000 people had chosen this method for the disposition of their remains in the United States.^[1]

Most sources cite the British company "Resomation Limited" as the driving force behind the procedure; the company has a pending patent on the procedure and owns the international trademark on the word "Resomator". Resomation Ltd. is 65% owned by The Co-operative Group, who also own the largest funeral home business in the UK.

In the alkaline hydrolysis disposal process, the body is placed in a silk bag, itself placed within a metal cage frame. This is then loaded into a Resomator. The machine is filled with a mixture of water and lye, and heated to a high temperature (around 160°C [320°F]), but at a high pressure, which prevents boiling. Instead, the body is effectively broken down into its chemical components, which takes about three hours.

The end result is a quantity of green-brown tinted liquid (containing amino acids, peptides, sugars and salts) and soft, porous white bone remains (calcium phosphate) easily crushed in the hand (although a cremulator is more commonly used) to form a white-colored dust. The "ash" can then be returned to the next of kin of the deceased. The liquid is disposed of either through the sanitary sewer system, or through some other method including use in a garden or green space. This alkaline hydrolysis process is currently being championed by a number of ecological campaigning groups,^[2] for using less energy and producing less carbon dioxide and pollutants than cremation. It is being presented as an alternative option at some British crematorium sites.^[3]

Legal status

United States

Alkaline hydrolysis as a method of final disposition of human remains is currently legal in Florida, Maine, Minnesota[1] and Oregon, among other states.^[4] The process was legal in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, but a one year moratorium was imposed to allow the technology claims to be studied and validated before public use.^[5] In Minnesota, Mayo Clinic uses an alkaline hydrolysis process to dispose of donated bodies. In Florida, a commercial resomator has been installed at the Anderson-McQueen funeral home in St Petersburg. The process is currently legal in only seven US states.^[6]

Quote from above article^[4]

In resomation, a body is placed in a steel chamber along with a mixture of water and potassium hydroxide. Air pressure inside the vessel is increased to about 145 pounds per square inch, and the temperature is raised to about 356 degrees Fahrenheit. After three or more hours, the corpse is reduced to bones that are then crushed into a fine, white powder. That dust can be scattered by families or placed in an urn. Dental fillings are separated out for safe disposal.

References

See also

• Tissue digestion
• Cremation
• Burial

External links

• New in mortuary science: Dissolving bodies with lye - ABC News
• New body 'liquefaction' unit unveiled in Florida funeral home - BBC News