Desmond Tutu, an Archbishop, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, passed away on 26th December 2021. The body of the Archbishop was cremated using the aquamation cremation process. It is a popular and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cremation methods that uses water instead of fire.
What is aquamation?
Aquamation is the process of dissolving a deceased person’s body using water and chemicals. The other names for the same are alkaline hydrolysis, resomation, liquid cremation, bio cremation, or water cremation. According to US-based researcher Philip R Olson, the method was first developed in the early 1990s. As a way to dispose of the bodies of animals in experimentation. Before being used to dispose of cattle during the mad cow disease epidemic. Before the practice made its way into the funeral industry in the 2000s, US medical schools used aquamation to dispose off donated human cadavers.
Aquamation: How does it work?
Aquamation, also known as “alkaline hydrolysis,” involves immersing the deceased’s body in a pressurized metal cylinder. Heated to around 150 degrees Celsius for three to four hours in a mixture of water and strong alkali, such as potassium hydroxide. Everything is liquified except the bones. Which are then dried in an oven and reduced to white dust before being placed in an urn and given to relatives.
Where is it legal?
According to the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), under the current laws, it would only give authorized subjects obedience to health, safety, and environmental regulations. It is currently not available in the UK. Though several organizations are acting with regional administrations to bring it in. It asserted that the process’s adoption in the UK will be delegated to assure that anything entering the liquids at the end of the procedure is “appropriate.” Other countries offering the service include many states in the US. Three states in Canada, parts of Australia, Mexico, South Africa, and the Netherlands.
How is aquamation better for the environment?
With burial areas in metropolitan regions becoming increasingly insufficient and costly around the world, aquamation has noticeable appeal. Water is a more delicate way to go than flames. The believers assert that liquid cremation uses less energy and emits fewer greenhouse gases than traditional cremation. As there is no need to burn a coffin.
