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http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=World-goes-green-with-bio-cremations-07102014017023
Oct 07 2014 : The Times of India (Mumbai)World goes green with bio
cremationsKounteya SinhaLondonAfter US & Canada, Europe Set To Okay Chemical
Hydrolysis For Disposal Of BodiesBio cremations — a practice that ensures that
the human body is turned into a liquid and not ashes — is all set to be
legalized in parts of Europe. At present, the only legal way to cremate the
dead in the continent is to exhume the body or bury it.Belgium and the
Netherlands are contemplating allowing the mass use of bio cremations which has
been legalized recently in the US and Canada.
The process is also known as chemical hydrolysis — an environmentally-friendly
alternative to present day trend of the disposal of bodies. The technology
replaces the use of flame with the utilization of water, blended with an alkali
solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH).
The process uses 95% water and 5% alkali instead of direct flame and fossil
fuels to cremate human remains.
The body is placed in a stainless steel cremation chamber where water, an
alkali additive, heat and pressure are added. The body is reduced to bone
fragments and a sterile solution that is recycled to the earth.
The average adult body takes approximately 2-3 hrs to complete a bio-cremation.
Upon completion of the cremation cycle, bones are dried and processed to a
powdery substance which is then placed in an urn and given back to family.
Bio cremation is an environmentally friendly option as it uses less energy and
releases less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It also uses eight times less
energy than traditional flame based cremation.
The practice is being pushed by the Flemish funeral sector in Belgium while the
Dutch parliament too is discussing the possibility of making it legal.
In 2011, a Florida funeral home became the first in the world to perform a bio
cremation and since then, over 3,000 people in the United States have chosen
the procedure.
The decision will soon be taken by the European Council.
