Alkaline hydrolysis (burial type)

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The alkaline hydrolysis ( English resomation ) is a burial method in which the corpse to be buried is hydrolyzed by the action of a strong alkali .

The procedure

The (human or animal) body is decomposed in a pressure vessel made of stainless steel at temperatures of 150 to 160 ° C in concentrated potassium hydroxide within a few hours. The container is under pressure to prevent the lye from boiling. The increased temperature accelerates the hydrolysis processes ( saponification of body fat , proteolysis ). Apart from any metal or ceramic implants (e.g. hip endoprostheses ), only a transparent, brown liquid and bone remnants ( calcium phosphate ) remain. The liquid mainly consists of amino acids , short peptides , sugars and minerals. It no longer contains DNA as it is broken down by concentrated alkaline solutions. The resulting liquid is microbiologically sterile and can normally be safely disposed of via the drain. After drying and grinding, the solid bone components can be returned to the relatives or animal owners as pure white sterile ashes, just like in cremation.

Before the method was used on deceased people, it was already used in part in veterinary medicine . There the problem arose that difficult infectious materials had to be disposed of, for example in the context of the BSE epidemic. Treatment with concentrated alkalis is one of the few procedures that can also safely inactivate prions .

The cost of an alkaline hydrolysis burial in the US is approximately $ 600 .

Environmental aspects

There are so far only a few scientific studies that have examined the environmental aspects of this type of burial in detail. A Dutch study from 2014, which was carried out on behalf of the funeral home Yarden in Almere , and assessed various types of burial (burial, cremation and alkaline hydrolysis) on the basis of 18 ecological criteria (landscape consumption, CO 2 emissions, energy consumption, pollution ...), came to the conclusion that alkaline hydrolysis is by far the most environmentally friendly method in this comparison. The environmental costs were quantified according to this study as follows: burial € 63.66, cremation € 48.47, alkaline hydrolysis € 2.50. However, these figures were mainly based on conditions in the Netherlands. Different burial practices in different countries can produce different results. In crematoriums in the Netherlands, for example, filter systems that laboriously filter out the mercury emissions from the smoke are required by law. This is not the case with crematoria in the United States, so the environmental costs there are likely to be higher. On the other hand, cremation in the United States usually takes place without a coffin, which again lowers environmental costs.

Ethical aspects

This type of burial has met with some rejection from religious institutions. The official Roman Catholic Church in the United States has spoken out against the process on several occasions. One of the main arguments of the opponents was that it was disrespectful and undignified to simply "dispose of" the dissolved deceased in the drain. The deceased would then be treated like "garbage". Proponents countered that even old traditional burial methods always treated parts of the body as waste - for example during embalming or cremation. With the latter it is also the case that part of the ashes are thrown into the air and ultimately washed back down to the earth with the rain.

Supporters of an “eco-burial” argued that the amino acid, sugar and mineral-containing liquid left over from alkaline hydrolysis could be used for nourishment by other living beings (bacteria in water treatment plants).

Admission

This form of burial is approved for human burial in the US states of Minnesota and New Hampshire (as of May 2008). As of the summer of 2007, around 1,000 people were reportedly buried this way in the United States. Six other US states had approved the form of burial by 2013. It will also be allowed in California from 2020. It is also used in the UK, Canada and Australia.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Neil Bowdler: New body 'liquefaction' unit unveiled in Florida funeral home. BBC News, August 30, 2015, accessed May 23, 2017 .
  2. ↑ What is Alkaline Hydrolysis? Resomation Ltd., accessed November 24, 2019 .
  3. ↑ EE Keijzer, H. ten Broeke, Ir. AMM Ansems: Milieueffecten van verschillende uitvaarttechnieken - update van eerder TNO - onderzoek . Ed .: Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research . November 30, 2014 (Dutch, uitvaart.nl [PDF]).
  4. ↑ a b c William Kremer: Dissolving the dead. BBC News, May 22, 2017, accessed May 23, 2017 .
  5. ↑ UK firm: Don't burn bodies, boil them. A British company says it has an eco-friendly alternative to cremation: boiling bodies into dust. August 6, 2007, accessed January 18, 2013 .
  6. ↑ Low emissions on the last trip. Retrieved January 18, 2013 .