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How Is the Liquid Portion of a Person’s Remains Disposed of After Alkaline Hydrolysis?
As a rule, the liquid by-product of alkaline hydrolysis (called the effluent) is disposed of at a wastewater treatment center in the municipality where the process took place. According to […]
As a rule, the liquid by-product of alkaline hydrolysis (called the effluent) is disposed of at a wastewater treatment center in the municipality where the process took place. According to John Ross, former executive director of the Cremation Association of America, “It’s very similar to the treatment of excess water from any (industrial) facility. In fact, it probably has less of a chemical signature than you would find (in liquids) coming out of most (industrial) plants.”
In order to ensure the safety of the water supply in places where alkaline hydrolysis is allowed, many municipalities require facilities to follow a stringent process established by state or local law. For example, California requires licensed alkaline hydrolysis facilities that do not have permission to dispose of the waste in the municipal water supply to transport the liquid to a “publicly owned wastewater treatment plant or licensed industrial anaerobic digestion facility or waste-to-energy or biomass facility” using a “state-licensed biomaterials handler.” Additionally, most jurisdictions require any fluid released into the sewer system to be at or below a certain pH level. Since the effluent is extremely alkaline, with a pH of about 11–14, some areas require that the effluent be treated with carbon dioxide to achieve a lower pH before it is released into the environment. With that said, a new device developed by Ed Gazvoda creates an effluent with a neutral pH.
Further, in at least one location in the U.S., the effluent is returned to the family if they so choose. Natural Funerals in Lafayette, Colorado, allows families to take home all or some of the approximately 25 gallons of their loved one’s “essence,” to use in their garden or another location to fertilize plants. If loved ones choose not to take home the effluent, it is donated to a local nursery or vendor to be used as fertilizer rather than being flushed down the drain.
Sources
“Alkaline Hydrolysis: Water Cremation and the “Ick Factor”. Confessions of a Funeral Director. https://www.calebwilde.com/2014/07/alkaline-hydrolysis-water-cremation-and-the-ick-factor/
California Legislative Information. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB967
The Natural Funeral. https://www.thenaturalfuneral.com/
