Water cremations, also known as aquamation, are becoming increasingly popular in the United States as a more eco-conscious and affordable alternative to traditional burials. This innovative technique involves placing the deceased body in a container filled with water and alkaline chemicals for up to six hours. The process leaves behind only the bones, which are then crushed into a fine powder and placed in an urn. Aquamation costs around $3,000, significantly less than the average funeral expense of $8,000, not to mention additional fees for cemetery plots.
Currently, water cremation is legal in 21 states, but the casket companies and the Catholic Church have made efforts to prevent its legalization nationwide. The funeral industry is valued at a staggering $20.2 billion. Many Americans are choosing this method as a way to dispose of their remains after death. In the aquamation process, the deceased body is placed in a larger steel vat filled with water and alkaline chemicals. After approximately six hours, everything apart from the bones has been liquefied. These bones are then crushed into a powder form, as depicted in the accompanying image.
Aquamation is currently legal in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Additionally, Arizona, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas are in the process of legalizing aquamation. Originally, this process was developed by a farmer in 1888 for breaking down animal carcasses into fertilizer. Later, laboratories adopted it to dispose of contaminated animal bodies. Minnesota became the first U.S. state to legalize water cremation for human bodies in 2003, though it wasn’t introduced to the funeral industry until 2011.
The aquamation process takes place inside a long, stainless-steel chamber that is sealed. The chamber is filled with a solution consisting of 95 percent water and five percent alkali, a chemical that dissolves in water. This alkali combines with acids to form salts and reduces the acidity of the overall solution. In a low-temperature alkaline hydrolysis, the solution is heated to just below boiling point, and the process is conducted at atmospheric pressure. The body undergoes reduction for a duration of 14 to 16 hours. Alternatively, a higher-temperature version of the process involves increasing the mixture’s temperature to above 300 degrees Fahrenheit and generating more pressure. In this case, the reduction of the body takes place within a four to six-hour timeframe.
During the operation, fats are converted into salts, proteins into amino acids and small peptides, and carbohydrates into sugars. The process breaks down all organic materials into their most basic building blocks, resulting in such small particles that no trace of protein or nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) remains. These organic remnants are dissolved into the water, which comprises 96 percent water and four percent amino acids, sugars, and salts by weight. The process employs sterile water, which is recycled, and the vessel is rinsed with freshwater after each use to maintain cleanliness. Notably, the substance remaining after water cremation is considerably thinner than the residue left behind during flame cremation.
When the operator opens the chamber, the only remnants left are the inorganic bone minerals. These minerals are subsequently processed into a fine powder and returned to the family in an urn. Contrary to flame cremation, water cremation generates significantly less waste material. In 2017, Robert J. Klink, a Minnesota fisherman, opted for water cremation upon his passing, making an unconventional choice for burial according to the prevailing customs at the time.
The wastewater resulting from water cremation is typically either disposed of in the sewage system or utilized as fertilizer for plants. Bio-Response Solutions is the manufacturer of all 60 machines used for this process, and funeral directors in 15 states currently offer water cremation as an option. Although the Vatican has generally addressed the topic of cremation, it has not specifically commented on the moral implications of alkaline hydrolysis, likely due to the relative novelty of the human application of this process. However, specific local Churches have issued statements regarding alkaline hydrolysis when confronted with the matter. In 2011, Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington and then chairman of the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), determined that it was “unnecessarily disrespectful of the human body.” This is because Catholics believe the deceased should be buried in a manner similar to that of Jesus Christ, who was placed in a tomb after His death. The church permits flame cremation but denounces water cremation due to the transformation of human remains that are subsequently flushed into sewers.
According to the Berkeley Planning Journal, conventional burials in the United States involve burying large quantities of materials alongside bodies, including approximately 30 million board feet of hardwoods, 2,700 tons of copper and bronze, 104,272 tons of steel, and 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete. Flame cremations in America release approximately 360,000 tons of carbon annually, whereas water cremations do not release any carbon emissions. It is estimated that flame cremation will account for 60 percent of burial methods this year in the United States. The Cremation Research Council states that the average cost of a direct cremation in the U.S. is $1,100.
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