Debbie The environmental impact of funerals is more intense than you may realize.
Cemeteries take up 1 million acres of land. Burials require 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde. Burial vaults use 2.3 billion tons of concrete. Making caskets uses 115 million tons of steel and enough wood for 4 million acres of forest. Cremation uses enough fossil fuel to drive you halfway to the sun every year.
If you or a loved one want to leave a smaller environmental footprint on the earth after you leave it, you may want to consider alkaline hydrolysis. It’s an environmentally-friendly alternative with several other benefits as well.
Read on for the answers to your questions about the process, such as what is alkaline hydrolysis and what makes it better than traditional fire cremation?
What Is Alkaline Hydrolysis?
Alkaline hydrolysis cremation was first invented as a way to speed up the process of decomposition for animal corpses. Applications for humans were eventually discovered in a process that’s also known as aquamation. It begins by transporting the body to the facility and storing it until the time is right.
An akaline hydrolysis machine has a chamber full lof approximately 100 gallons of liquid. The sex and weight of the deceased determine how much liquid and chemicals need to be used. This may also affect your final alkaline hydrolysis cost.
Water and alkaline chemicals are combined into a solution that fills the chamber. Heat, pressure, and/or agitation may be necessary, and the entire process takes 3-6 hours.
The result is a combination of bone fragments and a sterile liquid that contains 32% more remains than fire cremation. The liquid is released via a drain to the local wastewater treatment plant. The remaining bone fragments are crushed into a dust that resembles ashes and given to the deceased’s loved ones.
What Are the Benefits of Alkaline Hydrolysis?
Aklaline hydrolysis is one of the most environmentally friendly burial options available. It doesn’t leak toxic embalmbing chemicals into the ground. It uses a low amount of energy. The alkaline hydrolysis machine is powered by natural or propane gas instead of fossil fuels.
Alkaline hydrolysis also allows for everything to remain in the body. Teeth fillings contain mercury that gets vaporized from the high heat of a fire cremation and releases harmful gases, but they can remain in the mouth during aquamation. This is also true of medical implants such as pacemakers.
Alkaline hydrolysis reduces the amount of land required to bury your loved ones. This is true whether you bury their remains in the ground or take them home to place in an urn.
The alkaline hydrolysis process may seem complex, but it’s less time-intensive and expensive than holding a funeral and finding a proper burial spot..
If you search for “alkaline hydrolysis near me”, you may find that there are no practitioners in your area. It’s currently only legal in 20 states, so be sure to check your local laws.
Where Can I Learn More?
Losing a loved one is difficult, and deciding how to bury them can be a nightmare. Traditional methods have a major impact on the environment, from the wood and concrete used to make caskets to the fossil fuels used for cremation.
Alkaline hydrolysis is one of the most environmentally friendly options because it uses less energy, doesn’t let out toxic chemicals, and requires no fossil fuels. It’s also more cost-effective and uses less space. Fire cremation may be overtaking traditional burials as the most popular option, but aquamation is an even better alternative.
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