ASK THE DIRECTOR - THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013
Dear Funeral Director,
I've read of a new form of disposition available that uses a liquefying
procedure to reduce a person's remains to ashes. It's touted as a
“greener” approach than burial and cremation. Can you provide me with
more details on this and explain exactly how this process works?
Thank you for your time.
Ethan T.
North Stamford, CT
Dear Ethan,
Thank your for submitting such an interesting and excellent question.
The “liquefying” disposition method you're inquiring about is called
Alkaline Hydrolysis, and the commercial term for the process is called
“resomation”.
Alkaline hydrolysis is a process for the disposal of human remains which
its creator (a company out of the U.K. called "Resomation Limited")
states is more ecologically favorable than cremation. The company is currently marketing the process worldwide as an alternative to the traditional options of burial or
cremation, and they are recognized as the driving force behind this
procedure. The company has a pending patent on the procedure and owns
the international trademark on the word "resomator", which is the actual
machine that is used to break down the human remains.
In the “resomation” process, a body is placed in a steel chamber along
with a mixture of water and potassium hydroxide (lye). Air pressure
inside the vessel is increased to about 145 pounds per square inch (to
prevent boiling), and the temperature is raised to about 356 degrees F.
After three or more hours, the end result of this process is a quantity
of green-brown tinted liquid (which contains amino
acids, peptides, sugars and salts) and soft, porous white bone remains
(calcium phosphate) that can be easily crushed to form the white-colored
dust or “ash”. The "ash" can then be returned to the next of kin of
the deceased and the liquid portion is disposed of either through the
sanitary sewer system, or through some other method including use in a
garden or green space. The process is being championed by a number of
ecological campaigning groups for using less energy and producing less carbon dioxide and pollutants than cremation..
Currently, alkaline hydrolysis as a means of final disposition of human
remains is legal in seven states,
including Florida, Maine, Minnesota and Oregon. In fact, the Mayo Clinic
in Minnesota uses alkaline hydrolysis to dispose of donated bodies, and
in Florida, one of the first commercial “resomators” was installed at a
funeral home in St. Petersburg. However, the process is still
relatively new in the United States, and it will need to gain
professional buy in and acceptance from the public.
Thanks again and best regards,
Jerry
Gerald R. Bosak, Jr.
