The living body benefits immensely when it floats in water. One of the reasons why some people prefer water cremation is because they wish to carry over those benefits to the dead. Water cremation is a new way of disposing off a dead body. It is a green method that has caught the attention of many folks but its history is quite creepy because it originally involved turning livestock into food for plants.
What is water cremation?
Alkaline hydrolysis
Water cremation is also known as alkaline hydrolysis and was first invented way back in the late nineteenth century. Originally, it was meant to aid the decomposition of dead animal bodies. When these bodies decomposed, they could be turned into a fertilizer. It is only about twenty years ago that people came to realize that this was a wonderful way of disposing off medical cadavers which were no longer required. Today, alkaline hydrolysis has become an alternative method for disposing off dead bodies and is growing in popularity compared to traditional crematon.
Pressure vessel filled with water and lye mixture
In this method, the dead body needs to be put into a pressure vessel that will later be filled with a mix of water and lye. Thereafter, the mixture and the body are heated to approximately 160 degrees Celsius but at a high pressure. The high pressure ensures that the body and water do not boil. What happens is that the body will be broken down into chemical components. The entire water cremation process takes between 4 and 6 hours.
Heating temperature
It is up to you to decide whether to use a lower temperature and you can also decide what amount of pressure is to be applied. However, in this case the process takes between fourteen and sixteen hours at temperatures of just 98 degrees Celsius.
pH levels
When the water cremation process begins, the mixture is mainly basic and it has a pH level of about 14. This level then drops by about e at the end of the water cremation. However, the pH levels at the end depend mainly on how much time is used to cremate the body in this way and how much fat was present in the body.
Green and brown tinted liquid remains
At the end of the water cremation, some amount of green and brown tinted liquid that contains amino acids and peptides as well as sugar and salts will be left. In addition, there will be soft and porous white bone that you can easily crush with your hands. A common way of doing this is by inserting the bone in a cremulator which helps to form a dust that is white in color. This ash can then be given to the family of the deceased. The liquid on the other hand will be disposed of through the sanitary sewer system but it is up to you to also use it in your garden or in any other green space.
Loved by environmentally conscious people
The water cremation process has found favor among those who are environmentally conscious. It does not produce any mercury emission and it also does not produce high amounts of carbon dioxide or pollutants. This method was originally patented by Amos Herbert Hobson in the year 1888 but in 2007, a Scotsman by the name of Sandy Sullivan started his own company that produced the machines to complete the water cremation process.
There is no pollution caused by water cremation process and the procedure uses less than ten percent of the energy of a regular cremation.
A combination of alkaline, high temperature and flowing water pressure that breaks down body tissue. As a result, all that remains are the bones which are returned to the family as ashes. Your loved ones can decided what to do with your ashes such as placing them in a an urn, hiring an ash scattering company, or even having them made it cremation jewelry.
