Green (gross?) cremation method produces liquid fertilizer
New climate-friendly cremation method uses water and lye to transform human remains into 200 gallons of liquid fertilizer.
Mon, Dec 07 2009 at 4:20 PM EST
There are an awful lot of people on the planet, and modern methods for disposing of human remains aren’t exactly earth-friendly. A
new alternative to cremation and burial
could change that — and even increase food production for those still
living — if we can get past the ‘ick factor’ of liquefying our dead
relatives.
"Resomation" is the process of disposing of human corpses through alkaline hydrolysis, which occurs when the body is sealed inside a
vault-like tube filled with water and lye and steam-heated to 300
degrees. Three hours later, some powdery bone fragments and 200 gallons
of fluid are all that remains.
Essentially, Resomation — which was developed by Scottish company
Resomation Ltd. — is just like the natural process of decomposition, but on fast-forward. The fluid can be safely dumped into sewer systems or even used as
fertilizer on farms and gardens — a proposal that some say comes a
little too close to ‘Soylent Green’ for comfort.
But unlike cremation and traditional burial, alkaline hydrolysis doesn’t lead to toxic chemicals like dioxin and formaldehyde being
released into the atmosphere or water supply. It also uses 80 percent
less energy than standard cremation.
Despite its apparent eco-friendliness, it’s improbable that Resomation will become a common way to deal with human remains any time
soon. It seems unlikely at best that Americans will accept pouring
what’s left of a loved one down a drain or consuming food that has been
sprayed with corpse juice.
But as world leaders struggle to deal with the immense specter of
global warming, solutions like Resomation may become more palatable — and it’s already accepted by many religious faiths,
including Catholicism.
“We’re not opposed to it. Environmentally, it seems like the right thing to do,” says Catholic Cemeteries manager of marketing Amy
Profenna...
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