Like cremation, alkaline hydrolysis -- also known as green cremation -- is a method of preparing a dead human body for its final disposition. And like cremation, it's a process that reduces human remains to bone fragments. But instead of flame, alkaline hydrolysis uses water and an alkali solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) commonly found in household products, which when heated, dissolves the body, leaving behind bone fragments and a sterile liquid. Alkaline hydrolysis is the natural process a body undergoes after burial, which can take up to 25 years. Green cremation essentially accelerates this natural process to 2-3 hours in a very quiet, controlled environment.
The process The dead human body is placed in a pressurized stainless steel chamber where water (95%) and alkali (5%) are added and the temperature raised to 350 degrees. Water, alkali, heat and pressure circulate over the body to cause a reaction that hastens the decomposition of soft tissues. (Translation: it completely dissolves everything -- flesh, organs -- except bone fragments.) The resulting sterile solution is drained from the pressurized chamber, leaving behind soft bone fragments. The sterile solution is recycled through the waste water treatment system. The process typically takes 2-3 hours, similar to cremation. A green alternative to cremation Green cremation is a much more eco-friendly process. Compared to cremation, alkaline hydrolysis offers:
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What's in a name?
Perhaps because alkaline hydrolysis is a technical term, not to mention a mouthful, the process goes by a variety of other names: green cremation, bio-cremation, chemical cremation, flameless creation and resomation. This last term is the commercial name of the process used by the company that developed the stainless steel pressurized chamber, called a Resomator. Bradshaw Funeral and Cremation Services' Celebration of Life Center in Stillwater, Minnesota is the only place where alkaline hydrolysis is available in Minnesota. |