Alkaline Hydrolysis: An Environmentally Responsible Alternative to Cremation and Burial

The campaign for environmental responsibility is changing the choices Americans make. They recycle in evergrowing numbers. More choose organic foods and demand products with all-natural ingredients in simplified packaging. "Green" is clearly the color of choice among the largest group of environmentally conscientious citizens – college-educated, affluent, empty-nesters.

Now they have an environmentally responsible alternative to cremation and burial: The Alkaline hydrolysis process.

The alkaline hydrolysis process accelerates the natural decomposition process through alkaline hydrolysis, sympathetically returning the body to ash. This process produces a natural, contaminant-free byproduct. Alkaline hydrolysis is an environmentally sustainable process and the bio-responsible option.

With alkaline hydrolysis an individual body is gently placed in a standard, sanitary, nonporous vessel, preventing any commingling of residual remains. The completely automated process, operated by a single button, then utilizes a combination of water pressure, high temperature and alkalinity to accelerate the natural course of tissue hydrolysis. The bone shadows left after the alkaline hydrolysis are completely sterile white bones, brittle enough to be easily powdered to ash.

The entire process is complete in three to four hours, regardless of the size of the body. Pacemakers can be left in place and titanium implants can be recovered – intact and sterile. The alkaline hydrolysis vessel requires limited space and can be easily installed in a funeral home or an existing crematorium. Internationally, alkaline hydrolysis has become the standard, replacing incineration and now is being introduced in the United States for use with human bodies. The alkaline hydrolysis process, which is patented in 23 countries for cadavers, has been used worldwide in laboratory and research applications. U.S.-based research facilities and medical schools, including the prestigious Mayo Clinic, successfully utilize the alkaline hydrolysis technology.

There are significant advantages to choosing alkaline hydrolysis as an alternative to cremation and burial, because of its environmental component as well as its measurable cost savings.

As the eco-responsible choice, alkaline hydrolysis:

• • Creates no air pollution and emits no greenhouse gases.
• • Emits twenty times less CO2 than with a typical cremation.
• • Uses only 10 percent as much energy per body as cremation, making it the energy-efficient option.
• • Neutralizes embalming fluid and cytotoxins, protecting soil and water from pollution.
• • Results in organic elements safely released to the ecosystem.

While alkaline hydrolysis provides responsible stewardship of the environment, its economic conservation is an important factor, too.

• • Operation and maintenance costs of alkaline hydrolysis are less expensive than cremation.
• • By using only 10 percent of the energy needed for cremation, it both conserves energy and protects against spiraling energy costs.
• • The alkaline hydrolysis machine requires minimal maintenance and has a lifespan of 20-30 years.
• • No air permits are required to operate the alkaline hydrolysis process. FBA

Charlie Kanet is President of Kanet Advertising. He is currently working with BioSAFE Engineering, who is developing the alkaline hydrolysis under the name Water Resolution(TM). He can be contacted at 513.241.2874 or at ckanet@kanetadvertising.com.