The date on this article is Dec 1 but it was only recently brought to my (actually Tracie’s) attention. It’s about liquefying corpses as a “green” alternative to cremation. To quote the juicy part, so to speak:
In alkaline hydrolysis the body is submerged in water in a stainless steel chamber. Heat, pressure and potassium hydroxide, chemicals used to make soap and bleach, are added to dissolve the tissue.
Two hours later all that’s left is some bone residue and a syrupy brown liquid that is flushed down the drain. The bones can be crushed and returned to the family as with cremation.
The president of the company acknowledges that “the ‘ick’ factor” is something of a barrier to the popularity of this technique.
