Alkaline Hydrolysis - Dissolving Bodies with Lye
Saturday May 10, 2008
When I'm dead, I don't think I'm going to care what happens with my body. However, I realize my family might not feel the same, so perhaps the idea of being dissolved with lye as opposed to a more traditional burial or cremation, would be problematic for them. If you're new to the idea of alkaline hydrolysis, here's how it works. A 300°F solution of a strong base, in this case lye (sodium hydroxide), is sprayed on a body at 60 pounds of pressure per square inch in what looks sort of like a body-shaped stainless steel pressure cooker. The base hydrolyzes the tissues, leaving a syrupy brown liquid and some bone residue. The bone residue could be collected and dried, if desired, similar to the collection of cremated remains. In the case of animal carcasses, the solution is washed down the drain. There are two medical centers using the equipment for research cadavers (University of Florida in Gainesville and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN). They flush the remains, too. Although the solution has a strong odor, it is sterile and does not pose a threat to the water supply.
The equipment for alkaline hydrolysis is a little more expensive than what you need for cremation, but the process may be more environmental friendly than cremation, which releases carbon dioxide and mercury from dental amalgams. The sodium hydroxide solution may be less troublesome than the blood and leftover embalming fluid washed down the drain when a body is prepared for burial.
Dissolving a Body with Hydrofluoric Acid | What Causes Rigor Mortis?
The equipment for alkaline hydrolysis is a little more expensive than what you need for cremation, but the process may be more environmental friendly than cremation, which releases carbon dioxide and mercury from dental amalgams. The sodium hydroxide solution may be less troublesome than the blood and leftover embalming fluid washed down the drain when a body is prepared for burial.
Dissolving a Body with Hydrofluoric Acid | What Causes Rigor Mortis?
Comments
gross.
The fluid resulting from animal carcass digestion is a great fertilizer!!! It can be spread as liquid fertilizer, an enriching additive to compost or manure slurries, used as anaerobic feedstock, or used for methane harvesting. Farm Show Magazine recently did an article on the animal unit linked above. I think the cost is about 10% of what others cost. For the fluid from humans, I would think you would want to dispose of it in the sewer.
I meant to mention that for good fertilizer, they would probably use potassium hydroxide (KOH) instead of sodium hydroxide (NaOH).
Alkaline Hydrolysis is used in our Waste Management systems as a disposal route for carcasses etc. treating farm and abattoir wastes It creates a highly nutritious soup for feeding into our anaerobic digesters to generate biogas (80% methane) which is used as a sustainable and alternative energy source. It’s no joke, and it’s worth a helluva lot more than just as a fertlizer, which it also generates as part of the anaerobic digestion process. All that’s left is ‘bone shadow’ which hand-crumbles to dust.