When you start trying to determine what you want your end-of-life treatment to look like, you’re going to have to consider how you want your loved ones to handle your body.
Do you want a standard burial? What about cremation? What about alkaline hydrolysis cremation?
So what is alkaline hydrolysis? Alkaline hydrolysis is a newer method that uses water to break down the body. It’s often called water cremation or aquamation.
But how does an alkaline hydrolysis machine work? We’re here to talk about it. Keep reading to learn more.
The Alkaline Hydrolysis Machine Itself
The machine is a single chamber. The chamber is both airtight and watertight, meaning that nothing can get in or out until the process is complete.
Inside the chamber, there are 100,000 gallons of liquid. Before the liquid goes into the chamber, the body is placed there so the liquid fills up around it. This is so there is always the perfect amount of liquid for each specific person.
Different machines operate in different ways. The machine may heat up, move around to agitate the body or apply pressure.
The Process
Most people understand the process of cremation. The body goes into a chamber and the chamber heats up, lighting the body aflame. At the end of the process, the person at the crematorium collects the ashes to give to the loved ones.
But what about aquamation? Are there still ashes? What happens to the body?
During aquamation, the body goes into the (previously mentioned) chamber in the alkaline hydrolysis machine. After the machine fills with water, a chemical process begins.
Water and lye work together to break down the body. Depending on the person and the machine, it can take anywhere between three and sixteen hours for this process. After the body is gone, the chamber is full of sterile liquid and softened teeth and bones.
You can ask to receive “ashes” after the aquamation process, but they aren’t true ashes. Instead, you’ll receive the pulverized teeth and bones of your loved one.
Why People Prefer It
So why would anyone choose alkaline hydrolysis over cremation?
While it’s true that aquamation is still more expensive than cremation because it’s still new, there are benefits to this innovative process. First and foremost, it’s better for the environment.
Many people claim that cremation is good for the environment (as an alternative to traditional burial), but this isn’t true. It releases pollution into the atmosphere and uses valuable fossil fuels.
Aquamation is quick, it’s eco-friendly, and it’s speeding up the natural process of decomposition.
Alkaline Hydrolysis: The Future of “Cremation”
An alkaline hydrolysis machine might seem complicated and futuristic, but it’s just speeding up the way that a body decomposes so it can go back to nature. This eco-friendly option is the future of cremation (or in this case, aquamation).
Talk to your loved ones about choosing aquamation.
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