AQUAMATION - A GREENER ALTERNATIVE TO CREMATION? Aquamation/Resomation/Bio Cremation/Water Cremation/Alkaline Hydrolysis:
Aquamation disposes of the remains by placing them in a high-pressure
chamber filled with water and lye which is heated to anywhere from
200
to 300 degrees. Within six to twelve hours the flesh, blood, and
muscle dissolves. When the lye-water is drained, all that will remain
in
the tank are bones, dental fillings or any metal replacement parts.
The bones are then pulverized in much the same way as a cremation.
Because Aquamation does not use a container for the remains and the
process does not burn fossil fuels
it is touted as being one of the
‘greenest’ disposition methods. Questions still remain about this
claim such as:
--What exactly gets flushed into the local sewer system and how harmful is this to the environment, waterways and water tables?
--Is using fresh water to dissolve human bodies the best use of such a precious resource?
--How much electricity or gas is used to run this highly technical machinery?
--What are the environmental consequences of mining, shipping and
producing the raw materials such as potash that are
manufactured into
these shiny steel machines?