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From Burial to Water Cremation: How Funerals Are Changing

Written by michael.rushby on . Posted in Future of Funerals.

For thousands of years, the way we care for people after death has been shaped by religion, culture, available land and social tradition. Burial was once the overwhelmingly familiar choice in Britain. Later, cremation offered an alternative that gradually became accepted and eventually commonplace.

Today, another change is beginning to take place.

Growing awareness of environmental impact, changing attitudes towards funerals and advances in technology are encouraging people to consider alternatives to both burial and flame cremation. One of those alternatives is water cremation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis.

Could water cremation represent the next major evolution in how we say goodbye?

From ancient burial to cremation

Human funeral practices stretch back thousands of years. Burial and cremation have both existed in different cultures and at different points in history, often influenced by religious beliefs and local customs.

For long periods, burial was the dominant practice in Britain. The growth of Christianity was an important influence on attitudes towards the treatment of the dead, and cremation remained relatively uncommon for centuries.

That began to change towards the end of the 19th century, when modern cremation started gaining greater acceptance. Its popularity continued to grow, particularly during the 20th century.

What had once seemed unfamiliar gradually became a normal part of British funeral practice.

It is a useful reminder that our funeral traditions are not fixed. They evolve as society changes.

Why did cremation become popular?

There was no single reason for the rise of cremation.

Changing social attitudes played a part, but there were also practical considerations. Growing populations and pressure on cemetery space made permanent burial increasingly difficult in some areas.

Cremation offered families another option without requiring a conventional grave.

Over time, crematoria also developed into places for the funeral ceremony itself. For many families, the crematorium chapel became as familiar a setting for saying goodbye as a church or cemetery.

But the environmental priorities of the 21st century are raising new questions about practices that became established during the previous century.

The environmental question

Traditional cremation relies on high temperatures to cremate the deceased.

That requires energy and produces emissions through combustion. Crematoria have also been studied as potential sources of environmental pollutants, including mercury associated with dental amalgam.

Burial presents a different set of considerations.

Land use, coffin materials, cemetery management and embalming can all contribute to the overall environmental impact of a funeral.

As people increasingly consider the environmental consequences of the choices they make during life, it is understandable that some are beginning to ask:

What about the choices we make at the end of life?

A third choice: water cremation

Water cremation provides an alternative to both conventional burial and flame cremation.

Rather than using fire, the process uses water, heat and alkaline minerals to accelerate the natural process that occurs when a body decomposes.

The deceased is placed within a specially designed water cremation vessel. Under carefully controlled conditions, the process returns the body’s organic material to its basic components.

At the end of the process, the mineral remains of the bones are left behind. These are carefully dried and prepared into a fine powder that can be returned to the family, much like ashes following a traditional cremation.

Families can therefore still choose to keep, scatter or memorialise the remains according to their wishes.

Is water cremation really cremation?

The word cremation is strongly associated with fire, so the term water cremation can initially seem surprising.

But for families, many aspects of the experience can remain familiar.

There can still be a funeral.

There can still be music, readings, flowers and personal tributes.

Friends and relatives can still gather together to remember the person who has died.

And the family can still receive mineral remains afterwards.

What changes is the process taking place after the farewell.

Instead of flame, water is used.

From the crematorium to the Aquatorium®

If cremation led to the development of the modern crematorium, water cremation raises another question:

What should a funeral venue designed around this new process look and feel like?

This is where the idea of an Aquatorium® becomes important.

The original concept of an Aquatorium was not simply a building containing alkaline hydrolysis equipment. It was envisaged as a purpose-designed funeral environment that could meet the practical requirements of water cremation while also serving the emotional and spiritual needs of mourners.

That distinction remains central to the Aquatorium® vision today.

An Aquatorium® should not feel industrial or clinical. It should be a calm, welcoming place where families can gather, remember and say goodbye.

The technology should support the funeral experience rather than define it.

Funeral traditions have always evolved

New funeral practices can initially feel unfamiliar.

Modern cremation itself faced considerable resistance before becoming widely accepted.

Yet attitudes changed.

Funeral customs have continually adapted in response to religious beliefs, cultural expectations, technological developments and the needs of society.

Water cremation can be viewed in the same context: not as a rejection of funeral tradition, but as another development in a much longer history of changing how we care for our dead.

A more sustainable future for funerals

People increasingly consider sustainability when choosing how they travel, heat their homes, buy food and consume energy.

It is reasonable that those considerations should eventually extend to funerals.

For some people, traditional burial will remain the right choice. For others, flame cremation will continue to be preferred.

Water cremation introduces another possibility.

It gives families greater choice while opening a wider conversation about what a modern funeral can be.

The transition from burial to cremation demonstrated that funeral customs can change dramatically over time.

Water cremation could represent the beginning of the next chapter.

Water, Not Flame.

Sources & Further Reading

This article draws on historical records, academic research and published material relating to cremation, alkaline hydrolysis and changing funeral practices.

  1. Office for National Statistics (ONS) — Burial and cremation statistics, 1855 to 2018. Historical statistics on burial and cremation in England and Wales.
    Office for National Statistics – Burial and Cremation Statistics
  2. Mari, M. & Domingo, J.L. (2010) — Research published in Environment International examining environmental emissions associated with crematoria, including mercury and PCDD/F emissions.
    ScienceDirect – Environment International
  3. Kaye, G.C., Weber, P.B., Evans, A. & Venezia, R.A. (1998) — Efficacy of Alkaline Hydrolysis as an Alternative Method for Treatment and Disposal of Infectious Animal Waste. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science, 37(3), 43–46. This is one of the scientific references used in the original Aquatorium material when discussing alkaline hydrolysis.
  4. BBC News (2017) — Fears over liquefied remains of the dead. Reporting on proposals for alkaline hydrolysis at Sandwell and the regulatory questions surrounding the discharge of the resulting liquid.
  5. Kalia, A. (2019), The Guardian — A greener way to go: what’s the most eco-friendly way to dispose of a body? Discussion of alkaline hydrolysis and other approaches to more environmentally sustainable funerals.
  6. Bowler, J.M. (1971) — Pleistocene salinities and climatic change: Evidence from lakes and lunettes in southeastern Australia, in Aboriginal Man and Environment in Australia. Cited in the original Aquatorium material in relation to early evidence of cremation at Lake Mungo.

What Emissions Does Cremation Produce? Environmental Impact Explained

Written by michael.rushby on . Posted in Environmental Impact.

Traditional flame cremation is widely chosen by families across the UK, but many people are unaware of the energy required by tTraditional flame cremation has been used in the UK for generations and remains the most common alternative to burial. But as more families consider the environmental impact of the choices they make, there is growing interest in understanding what happens during cremation — including the energy it requires and the emissions it can produce.

Modern crematoria are carefully regulated, with increasingly sophisticated systems used to control emissions. Nevertheless, traditional cremation remains fundamentally a combustion process.

So, what does flame cremation release into the atmosphere, how are those emissions controlled, and how does this differ from water cremation?

How Does Traditional Cremation Work?

Traditional cremation uses intense heat and combustion to reduce the body and coffin to mineral remains.

According to current UK Government technical guidance, a modern cremator typically contains two combustion chambers: a primary chamber, where the coffin and deceased are placed, and a secondary combustion chamber through which the combustion gases pass.

Most cremators currently operating in the UK are fuelled by natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), although a small and growing number of electric cremators are also in operation.

Government guidance requires secondary combustion temperatures of at least 800°C for most cremators and 850°C for unabated cremators, subject to specific operating conditions.

The time required varies. Government guidance indicates that gas-fired cremations can take from around 50 minutes to more than two hours, depending on factors including body size.

This need to achieve and maintain high temperatures is one of the fundamental differences between traditional flame cremation and water cremation.

What Emissions Can Traditional Cremation Produce?

Combustion inevitably creates emissions.

Current UK Government guidance regulates and monitors a number of substances associated with crematoria.

These include:

  • Carbon monoxide (CO)
  • Particulate matter
  • Hydrogen chloride (HCl)
  • Mercury
  • Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
  • Dioxins and furans

Other emissions and environmental considerations can arise from the fuel, coffin and materials involved in the cremation.

The original research material used in preparing this article also identifies carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride and various organic compounds among substances potentially associated with flame cremation.

The precise emissions from an individual cremation are not identical in every case. They depend on the type and age of the cremator, fuel source, coffin and other materials, combustion conditions and whether the cremator has flue-gas treatment or other abatement technology.

Why Does Cremation Produce Carbon Emissions?

The fundamental reason is combustion.

Most UK cremators currently use natural gas or LPG. These fuels are burned to generate the temperatures necessary for cremation.

Carbon emissions can therefore arise from several sources, including:

  • fuel used by the cremator
  • electricity consumed by the facility
  • combustion of the coffin

Current Government guidance specifically requires crematoria to consider ways of reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The industry itself is changing. Electric cremators are increasingly being introduced, partly because of the reducing carbon intensity of the UK’s electricity supply. There is also growing interest in alternative fuels, including biogas and hydrogen.

Traditional cremation technology may therefore become more efficient and less carbon intensive.

However, irrespective of the fuel used to heat the cremator, traditional cremation remains a process involving combustion.

What About Mercury?

Mercury has been a particular environmental concern for crematoria because of its historical use in dental amalgam fillings.

During flame cremation, mercury contained within dental amalgam can be released into the flue gases.

This is one reason why modern crematoria use flue-gas treatment systems.

According to current UK Government guidance, approximately 70% of UK cremations in 2023 were carried out in cremators fitted with flue-gas treatment systems.

These systems were originally introduced primarily to reduce mercury emissions.

The technology can also reduce:

  • particulate matter
  • acid gases
  • dioxins

The latest guidance further requires new and replacement cremators, subject to specified exemptions, to be fitted with flue-gas treatment incorporating mercury abatement.

How Are Crematorium Emissions Controlled?

Modern crematoria are regulated facilities.

Current UK technical guidance establishes operating conditions, emissions limits, monitoring requirements and Best Available Techniques (BAT) designed to minimise environmental impact.

Controlling combustion conditions is particularly important.

Government guidance identifies factors including combustion temperature, oxygen levels, residence time within the secondary combustion chamber and carbon monoxide concentrations as important controls.

Flue-gas treatment provides an additional layer of emissions control.

Typically, reagents such as sodium bicarbonate or lime and activated carbon are introduced into the flue gases. These materials can help capture acid gases, mercury and dioxins before the remaining gases are released through the crematorium stack.

Particulate matter can subsequently be captured using filtration systems.

Can All Crematorium Emissions Be Removed?

No combustion process is entirely without environmental consequences.

Flue-gas treatment can substantially reduce certain pollutants, but different emissions require different control technologies.

For example, current Government guidance states that conventional flue-gas treatment does not remove nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Additional NOx reduction technology is available and is beginning to become more widely used, although its adoption remains limited.

This distinction is important.

Modern crematoria can significantly control their emissions, but controlling pollutants after combustion is different from using a process that avoids combustion in the first place.

Are Dioxins and Furans Produced by Cremation?

Dioxins and furans are among the pollutants addressed by UK crematoria regulation.

Government Best Available Techniques guidance explains that good combustion control is important because reducing carbon monoxide also helps minimise emissions of unburnt organic compounds, including dioxins and furans.

Modern flue-gas treatment incorporating activated carbon can further reduce these emissions.

This is another reason why the environmental performance of a modern regulated crematorium should not simply be compared with much older cremation technology.

Technology and regulation continue to improve.

Is Traditional Cremation Bad for the Environment?

It is more useful to recognise that traditional cremation has an environmental impact rather than simply describing it as environmentally “good” or “bad”.

The process consumes energy and produces emissions, but modern UK crematoria are subject to environmental controls designed to minimise those impacts.

The original source material used for this article also makes an important point: compared with worldwide emissions, crematoria account for only a relatively small proportion of harmful compounds and greenhouse gases.

The environmental discussion is therefore not about suggesting that crematoria are one of society’s largest sources of pollution.

Instead, it raises a different question:

If families could choose a dignified alternative that does not require flame cremation, should that choice be available?

This is where water cremation becomes particularly interesting.

How Is Water Cremation Different?

Water cremation — also known as alkaline hydrolysis, aquamation or resomation — does not cremate the body using flame.

Instead, it uses water, alkaline minerals and carefully controlled conditions to accelerate the natural process that occurs following death.

There is no burning of the body.

And this distinction is recognised explicitly in current UK Government environmental guidance.

The Government’s 2026 crematoria technical guidance states that alkaline hydrolysis does not have emissions to air and therefore does not fall within the scope of Part B air-pollution regulation applying to traditional crematoria.

That represents a fundamental environmental difference between the two processes.

Traditional cremation seeks to control and reduce the emissions produced by combustion.

Water cremation removes the combustion stage itself.

Water, Not Flame

For generations, families in Britain have largely been presented with two choices following a death:

Burial or flame cremation.

Water cremation introduces another possibility.

This doesn’t mean traditional cremation should be portrayed negatively. Modern crematoria are highly regulated, and advances in abatement, energy efficiency, electric cremation and alternative fuels continue to reduce their environmental impact.

The question is about choice.

As our understanding of environmental impact develops, families should be able to make informed decisions about what happens to them or someone they love after death.

At Aquatorium®, we believe that includes the opportunity to choose a process based on water, not flame.

Discover Water Cremation

Water cremation offers a different approach to the end of life — one based on water rather than combustion.

Discover what happens during water cremation, how the process works, what happens to the water afterwards and how the mineral remains are returned to the family.

[Discover How Water Cremation Works →]

Sources & Further Reading

This article draws primarily upon the latest UK Government technical guidance governing crematoria, supplemented by background material on the environmental impact of traditional cremation.

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs — Crematoria: Process Guidance Note (PGN 5/2 (25))
Statutory technical guidance applying across the UK covering the regulation and environmental performance of crematoria. Published December 2025 and updated July 2026.

UK Government — Crematoria: Process, Types of Fuels and Flue Gas Treatment
Explains how modern gas and electric cremators operate, the fuels used and the role of flue-gas treatment in reducing mercury, particulate matter, acid gases and dioxins.

UK Government — Crematoria: Emissions Limits, Monitoring and Other Provisions
Sets out operating controls, emissions monitoring, emission limits and requirements relating to energy consumption and carbon emissions.

UK Government — Crematoria: Best Available Techniques (BAT)
Details the techniques available to crematorium operators for controlling emissions and improving environmental performance.

UK Government — Crematoria Technical Guidance: Who It’s For and How to Use It
Explains the scope of the UK’s crematoria emissions regulations and specifically confirms that alkaline hydrolysis does not produce emissions to air and consequently falls outside the relevant Part B air-emissions regulation.

Calgary Co-operative Memorial Society — More About Cremation and its Impact on the Environment
Background material discussing energy use, combustion and potential emissions associated with traditional flame cremation.

The History of Water Cremation

Written by michael.rushby on . Posted in History of Water Cremation.

The History of Water Cremation

Funeral traditions have changed before

Water cremation can seem like a completely new idea.

But the history of funerals in Britain tells us something important:

the way we care for people after death has never been completely fixed.

Burial was once virtually universal.

Cremation was once controversial.

Natural burial emerged much more recently.

Today, water cremation is prompting another conversation about what a funeral can be.

Understanding that history helps place this new choice in context.

Burial: Britain’s longstanding tradition

For much of British history, burial was the normal way of caring for the dead.

The deceased was placed in a grave and allowed to decompose naturally.

Religious belief played an important part in this tradition, particularly within Christianity and other Abrahamic religions, but burial also provided a practical way of separating the dead from the world of the living.

The Durham University research describes burial as Britain’s most longstanding method of caring for the deceased and notes that it remained overwhelmingly dominant until the twentieth century.

For generations, anything different could have seemed extraordinary.

That makes the history of cremation particularly revealing.

Cremation was once the new idea

Cremation has ancient origins.

The practice was known in Greek and Roman societies and has long held religious significance within traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

Yet in Christian Europe it largely disappeared as burial became dominant.

By the nineteenth century, cremation would have appeared unfamiliar — and to some people deeply objectionable.

The situation began to change during the Victorian era.

1874: The Cremation Society is founded

A significant moment came in 1874.

Sir Henry Thompson, surgeon to Queen Victoria, helped establish what became the Cremation Society of Great Britain.

He had seen Professor Brunetti’s cremation equipment at the Vienna Exposition in 1873 and subsequently became an advocate for cremation in Britain.

The Cremation Society began the organised promotion and public education necessary to introduce the unfamiliar practice to British society.

This is an important parallel with water cremation.

Technological change alone was not enough.

People had to understand what cremation was, why it might be needed and whether it could provide a respectful alternative to burial.

Dr William Price and a turning point for cremation

One of the extraordinary episodes in British cremation history occurred in 1884.

Dr William Price was prosecuted after attempting to cremate the body of his infant son in Wales.

The court determined that cremating a body was not itself a criminal act, provided it did not create a public nuisance.

The judgement became an important milestone in the development of modern cremation in Britain.

The Cremation Society subsequently established a crematorium at Woking, where the first official modern cremation took place in 1885.

The Cremation Act 1902 later provided a statutory framework regulating the practice.

What had begun as a controversial innovation was becoming an established funeral choice.

Why did cremation become popular?

Cremation did not become popular simply because the technology existed.

Social conditions changed.

Concerns arose about:

public health;
sanitation;
the availability of burial land;
crowded cemeteries;
and the cost of funerals.

Cremation offered a practical response to some of those problems.

But acceptance took decades.

New crematoria needed to be built.

The law had to develop.

Religious attitudes had to change.

Most importantly, the public had to become comfortable with something that previous generations had regarded as unusual.

Eventually it happened.

Burial remained Britain’s dominant choice until 1968, when the rate of cremation overtook burial for the first time.

A radical innovation had become normal.

Natural burial introduces another choice

Funeral innovation did not end with cremation.

During the early 1990s, natural burial began developing in Britain.

Instead of conventional cemetery practices, natural burial generally emphasised biodegradable coffins or shrouds, reduced use of permanent memorials and burial within more natural landscapes.

Its growth reflected increasing environmental awareness.

This was significant because it showed that families were again willing to consider alternatives to established funeral practices.

The question was no longer simply:

Burial or cremation?

New possibilities were beginning to emerge.

Where does water cremation come from?

The scientific process behind water cremation is alkaline hydrolysis.

It was not originally developed for funerals.

According to the history reviewed in Robinson’s paper, alkaline hydrolysis was patented in the United States in 1888 by Amos Herbert Hobson, initially in connection with processing animal remains.

During the twentieth century the technique was developed further, including applications involving animal remains in medical and research settings.

Its application to human bodies came considerably later.

From scientific process to funeral choice

The development of modern single-person alkaline hydrolysis systems suitable for humans accelerated in the early twenty-first century.

The paper notes that a commercial single-body alkaline hydrolysis system was operating at the Mayo Clinic in the United States by 2005.

Commercial funeral use followed in the United States in 2011, including installations in Ohio and Florida.

This marked an important transition.

Alkaline hydrolysis was moving from a specialist scientific process towards becoming a genuine funeral option.

What exactly is water cremation?

Water cremation uses the process of alkaline hydrolysis.

The deceased is placed within a specially designed vessel together with water and alkaline compounds.

Controlled temperature and, depending upon the system, pressure accelerate the hydrolysis process associated with natural decomposition.

The result is mineral bone remains and a liquid containing the organic components broken down by the process.

The mineral remains can then be dried and prepared before being returned to the family.

The outcome therefore has something familiar about it.

Families can receive mineral remains after the process, much as families receive ashes following flame cremation.

But the method is fundamentally different.

Water replaces flame.

Why has water cremation emerged now?

Every major change in funeral practice develops within its social context.

In the nineteenth century, the arguments surrounding cremation included sanitation, health and crowded burial grounds.

In the twenty-first century, environmental concerns have become increasingly prominent.

Climate change.

Energy use.

Carbon emissions.

Air quality.

Land availability.

Sustainable consumption.

All of these have changed the way people think about their environmental impact.

It is therefore perhaps unsurprising that people are beginning to ask whether their environmental choices should extend to what happens after death.

Robinson’s research presents water cremation within precisely this historical context: another funeral innovation emerging as society’s priorities change.

The Cremation Society anticipated further change

There is a fascinating historical connection between the development of cremation and water cremation.

When the Cremation Society was established in 1874, its founders did not necessarily regard cremation as the final development in funeral practice.

Their declaration essentially supported cremation until a better method might be devised.

More than a century later, the Society amended its objectives to include investigating methods of caring for the deceased that might prove superior to cremation.

Robinson’s research notes that resomation was specifically among the technologies that prompted this interest.

The organisation that once helped Britain understand cremation was therefore itself considering what might come after it.

Public understanding matters

History also provides a warning.

Cremation did not become accepted overnight.

People had legitimate questions.

Was it respectful?

Was it safe?

Was it legal?

Would religions accept it?

What happened to the remains?

Could families still hold a proper funeral?

Many of the questions now being asked about water cremation are remarkably similar.

Research into its introduction therefore identifies public understanding and education as central to wider acceptance.

That is one of the reasons Aquatorium® exists.

Not simply to introduce a different technology, but to explain it clearly.

Another chapter in the history of funerals

Burial did not disappear when cremation arrived.

Cremation did not disappear when natural burial developed.

And water cremation does not need to replace either.

The important change is choice.

Future generations may look back at today’s discussion of water cremation in much the same way we now look back at Victorian debates surrounding cremation.

What appears unfamiliar today may eventually become another understood and accepted way to say goodbye.

Water, not flame.

A different process.

The same opportunity to remember, gather and say goodbye.

[Discover How Water Cremation Works]

Continue exploring

[What Is Water Cremation?]
[Environmental Benefits]
[Water Cremation and Religion]
[Water Cremation vs Traditional Cremation]
[Is Water Cremation Legal in the UK?]

Research source

These three pages are based principally on:

Robinson, Georgina M. (2021), “Dying to Go Green: The Introduction of Resomation in the United Kingdom”, Religions, 12, 97.

The paper was produced by a researcher in Durham University’s Department of Theology and Religion and covers the history of funeral practices in Britain, alkaline hydrolysis, environmental evidence, regulation and potential religious responses.

Environmental Research into Water Cremation

Written by michael.rushby on . Posted in Research into Water Cremation.

The Environmental Impact of Water Cremation

What does the research tell us?

One of the main reasons for growing interest in water cremation is its potential to reduce the environmental impact associated with funerals.

But describing something as “greener” is not enough.

A meaningful comparison needs to look at the whole process: energy consumption, emissions, materials, land use, water, transport and the treatment of remains.

Research reviewed by Durham University has compared alkaline hydrolysis — commonly called water cremation — with both traditional burial and flame cremation.

The findings suggest that water cremation has the potential to substantially reduce several of the environmental impacts associated with conventional methods.

Every funeral has an environmental impact

There is no form of funeral that has no environmental impact.

Burial may involve land, coffin materials, memorial stone, transport, cemetery maintenance and, in some cases, embalming.

Cremation requires fuel and high temperatures and produces emissions through combustion.

Water cremation uses electricity, water and alkaline compounds.

The important question is therefore not whether one process uses resources, but how their overall environmental impacts compare.

The environmental impact of traditional cremation

Modern cremation transformed funeral practice in Britain.

It initially offered important advantages over crowded cemeteries, particularly where land was limited.

But as environmental awareness has increased, attention has turned towards the emissions and energy consumption associated with cremation.

The academic research notes that concerns about crematorium emissions are not new. Environmental regulation of crematoria in Britain dates back at least to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, with particular concern historically surrounding pollutants including mercury.

High-temperature combustion can also produce gases including nitrogen oxides.

Research cited in Robinson’s paper demonstrates why reducing these emissions has become an increasing focus within the funeral industry.

Why water cremation is different

Water cremation does not rely on flame.

Instead, it uses alkaline hydrolysis: water, alkaline compounds and controlled conditions accelerate the natural chemical processes associated with decomposition.

Because there is no combustion of the body or coffin, the emissions profile is fundamentally different from flame cremation.

Research reviewed in the Durham paper cites estimates of approximately 90 kWh of electricity for the particular alkaline hydrolysis process examined and reports substantially lower energy consumption and carbon emissions than conventional cremation.

It also reports that dental amalgam containing mercury remains within the solid material, enabling it to be collected rather than being released through combustion.

Comparing environmental impact

One of the studies discussed in Robinson’s research is an independent life-cycle assessment by Dutch research organisation TNO.

The report examined four funeral technologies:

Burial
Cremation
Cryomation
Resomation / alkaline hydrolysis

Life-cycle assessment is important because it attempts to compare more than one isolated element of a process.

Instead, different environmental impacts are considered together.

The TNO analysis concluded that, under the assumptions used in its model, alkaline hydrolysis had a substantially lower overall environmental impact than either conventional burial or cremation.

That does not mean every individual funeral will produce precisely the same result.

The researchers themselves recognised that funeral choices vary considerably. A biodegradable shroud, for example, could make a burial less environmentally intensive than a funeral using resource-heavy materials.

The value of the study is therefore in comparing typical systems rather than claiming that every funeral has an identical footprint.

Lower energy requirements

Traditional cremation requires a chamber to reach extremely high temperatures.

Water cremation uses heat too, but the research reviewed by Robinson reports significantly lower overall energy requirements.

One estimate cited in the paper describes the process as using around one-eighth of the energy of cremation, although exact figures depend upon the equipment, energy source and operating conditions used.

This distinction is likely to become increasingly important as organisations attempt to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

No flame

Perhaps the simplest difference is also the most fundamental:

There is no combustion.

Water cremation does not burn the deceased.

That means there is no cremation flame and no need to combust a conventional coffin alongside the body.

The process examined in Robinson’s research instead uses a biodegradable coffin or shroud.

This reduces some of the materials and combustion associated with traditional cremation.

What about mercury?

Dental fillings have historically been an environmental concern for crematoria because mercury can be released when amalgam fillings are exposed to the very high temperatures involved in cremation.

Water cremation does not burn dental amalgam.

Research cited in the Durham paper states that mercury-containing amalgam remains as a solid material that can be collected and safely recycled.

What about burial?

Burial has a very different environmental profile.

There is generally no direct combustion process, but a conventional burial may require:

land permanently or for extended periods;
coffin materials;
grave excavation;
memorial materials;
cemetery maintenance;
transport;
and potentially embalming.

This makes comparisons complex.

Natural burial can reduce several of these impacts significantly, particularly through biodegradable materials and lower levels of permanent infrastructure.

Water cremation should therefore not be presented as the only environmentally responsible funeral choice.

It is one of several ways in which families may seek to reduce the impact of a funeral.

How much water does water cremation use?

The use of water is an obvious and reasonable question.

The particular Resomation process considered by the research was reported as using approximately 1,500 litres of water per deceased person.

Viewed alone, that sounds substantial.

But environmental analysis needs to compare the complete lifecycle of different funeral methods rather than a single input.

Water use therefore needs to be considered alongside:

energy consumption;
carbon emissions;
land use;
materials;
air pollution;
and waste management.

The environmental question is consequently more complex than simply asking which process uses the least water.

What happens to the water afterwards?

Following alkaline hydrolysis, the mineral component of the bones remains separately.

The liquid contains the organic compounds that have been broken down during the process.

One concern historically raised about water cremation has been whether this liquid can safely enter normal wastewater treatment.

Research reviewed by Robinson describes UK testing undertaken with experts from Middlesex University working alongside Yorkshire Water.

The study concluded that the effluent tested presented no concern for sewer systems, wastewater treatment operations or receiving water quality, and was suitable for processing using standard wastewater treatment methods.

The research also reported that the tested liquid contained no DNA.

Is water cremation carbon neutral?

No responsible environmental claim should suggest that water cremation has no impact at all.

Electricity has an environmental footprint.

Water has to be supplied and treated.

The equipment must be manufactured.

Buildings need to be constructed and operated.

Transport remains part of most funerals.

For that reason, Aquatorium® believes the appropriate claim is not that water cremation is impact-free, but that research indicates it can offer a lower-impact alternative to conventional flame cremation.

A more sustainable funeral choice

Funeral traditions have always evolved in response to changing social needs.

In the nineteenth century, concerns about sanitation, overcrowded cemeteries and available land helped drive the development of modern cremation.

Today, climate change, energy consumption and sustainability have become increasingly important considerations.

Robinson’s research argues that these changing environmental priorities could play a similar role in encouraging interest in water cremation.

Water cremation therefore represents something straightforward:

another choice for families who want to consider the environmental consequences of what happens after death.

Water, not flame.

[Discover How Water Cremation Works]

Continue exploring

[Water Cremation vs Traditional Cremation]
[Water Cremation vs Burial]
[What Happens to the Water?]
[The History of Water Cremation]

Research source

The evidence discussed on this page draws principally upon Georgina M. Robinson’s 2021 academic review Dying to Go Green: The Introduction of Resomation in the United Kingdom. The article itself brings together evidence from a number of earlier environmental studies and should therefore be presented as a review of existing research, rather than as a new lifecycle assessment conducted by Aquatorium®.

Water Cremation and Religion

Written by michael.rushby on . Posted in Water Cremation and Religion.

Understanding faith, tradition and a new choice after death

Funeral traditions are deeply personal. For many people, what happens after death is shaped not only by personal preference, but also by religious belief, cultural tradition and family custom.

The introduction of water cremation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis or resomation, therefore raises an important question:

How does water cremation fit with different religious beliefs?

There is no simple answer.

Different religions have different teachings about the treatment of the body after death, while beliefs and practices can also vary considerably between denominations, communities, families and individuals.

Academic research into water cremation and religion therefore stresses the importance of consultation with religious and cultural communities rather than assuming that one position represents an entire faith.

Why funeral practices matter in religion

For thousands of years, funeral rituals have helped people express beliefs about death, the body, the soul and what may happen after life.

Burial has traditionally been particularly important within Christianity, Judaism and Islam, while cremation has a significant place within Hinduism, Sikhism and many Buddhist traditions.

Water cremation does not fit neatly into either category.

It does not burn the body as flame cremation does.

Instead, it uses water and alkaline compounds to accelerate the process of alkaline hydrolysis — a process related to the natural decomposition that occurs following burial.

This makes water cremation particularly interesting from a religious perspective.

In some respects it resembles burial.

In others it produces an outcome more familiar to families who choose cremation.

Christianity and water cremation

Christianity has a long history of burial.

For centuries, burial was closely connected with Christian beliefs surrounding the body, resurrection and life after death.

Attitudes towards cremation changed considerably during the twentieth century, and most Christian denominations now permit cremation, although practices and theological views differ. The research examined by Robinson notes that the Orthodox Church remained an exception to this general acceptance at the time of publication.

Water cremation presents another theological question.

Because the process does not involve burning, some Christians may regard it differently from conventional cremation. Others may focus more strongly on how the body is treated and what happens to the remains.

There is therefore no single position that should be presented as representing Christianity as a whole.

The Catholic perspective

Catholic theologians and authorities have been among those who have discussed alkaline hydrolysis most directly.

Robinson’s paper refers to a 2008 Catholic moral analysis by Sr Renée Mirkes, who concluded that the process was, in itself, morally neutral. The analysis considered whether water cremation might become an acceptable alternative in circumstances where environmental, economic or other considerations supported its use.

Other Catholic authorities have expressed concerns, particularly surrounding the treatment of the body and the liquid remaining after alkaline hydrolysis.

This means it would be inaccurate to describe water cremation as either universally accepted or universally rejected by Catholicism.

For a practising Catholic considering water cremation, discussing the choice with their priest or relevant Church authority would therefore be appropriate.

Islam and water cremation

Islam has a strong tradition of burial.

Islamic funeral practice places considerable importance on the respectful preparation of the deceased and burial of the body.

Although water cremation accelerates a chemical process related to decomposition, the Durham research cautions that this similarity to natural decomposition should not be interpreted as making the process equivalent to burial from an Islamic perspective.

The physical act of laying the body to rest in the earth carries important religious meaning, and Islamic teaching traditionally opposes cremation.

For this reason, water cremation should not be presented as an automatically acceptable alternative to Islamic burial.

Individual families should seek advice from their imam or appropriate religious authority.

Judaism and water cremation

Traditional Jewish funeral practice also places great importance on burial.

Historically, Judaism has emphasised treating the deceased with dignity and returning the body to the earth, often as soon as reasonably possible after death.

As with Islam, the fact that alkaline hydrolysis has similarities with natural decomposition does not necessarily make it theologically equivalent to burial.

The research therefore suggests that Jewish authorities may not regard water cremation in the same way as burial simply because decomposition rather than combustion is involved.

Views may differ between Jewish communities and denominations, so families considering the process should seek appropriate religious guidance.

Hinduism and water cremation

Cremation has a particularly important role within Hindu funeral tradition.

It is not simply the production of ashes that matters.

The act of burning the body can itself carry religious significance, associated with releasing the atman — the soul or spirit — from the physical body.

Water cremation produces mineral remains which can subsequently be returned to the family, but it does not involve fire.

Robinson’s research therefore warns against assuming that because water cremation produces remains resembling cremated ashes, it automatically carries the same theological meaning as flame cremation.

There may nevertheless be aspects of existing Hindu funeral practices that could continue following water cremation, such as the subsequent placement or scattering of mineral remains.

The academic paper stresses that these possibilities remain speculative rather than established religious doctrine.

Sikhism and water cremation

Cremation also has an established place within Sikh funeral traditions.

As with Hinduism, the significance of cremation cannot necessarily be reduced simply to its final physical outcome.

Fire, the treatment of the body and beliefs concerning spiritual liberation can all influence funeral traditions.

Water cremation should therefore not automatically be assumed to be equivalent to conventional cremation for Sikh families.

As this is an evolving area, individual families may wish to discuss water cremation with their religious community before making a decision.

Buddhism and water cremation

Many Buddhist traditions use cremation, although burial is also practised within some Buddhist communities.

This diversity is particularly important.

There is no single Buddhist funeral practice that applies everywhere, and religious customs differ considerably between countries and Buddhist traditions.

The research examined by Robinson found that although alkaline hydrolysis produces mineral remains in a form comparable with cremation, the absence of the burning process could make it religiously distinct for some Buddhist communities.

Again, the appropriate approach is consultation rather than assumption.

Does water cremation change the funeral service?

Not necessarily.

The method used to care for the body after the funeral does not determine whether the family can hold a ceremony, religious service or farewell beforehand.

A funeral can still include:

  • prayers, readings and music;
  • a religious or secular ceremony;
  • family and friends gathering together;
  • opportunities to say goodbye;
  • memorial traditions appropriate to the individual;
  • and the return of mineral remains afterwards.

The Durham research observes that water cremation could allow the desired funeral service itself to remain substantially unchanged; it is principally the method of caring for the deceased afterwards that differs.

Respecting individual beliefs

At Aquatorium®, we believe introducing another funeral choice should never mean diminishing existing traditions.

Water cremation is an additional choice, not a judgement on burial or flame cremation.

For some people, environmental considerations may make it appealing.

For others, religious teachings may mean burial or traditional cremation remains the right choice.

Both positions deserve respect.

As understanding of water cremation develops, meaningful engagement with religious leaders, communities and families will be essential.

A personal choice, guided by belief

If your faith is important to you, we recommend discussing water cremation with an appropriate religious leader before making your wishes known.

Your funeral should reflect your values, beliefs and traditions.

Water cremation simply adds another possibility.

Explore water cremation

[How Water Cremation Works]
[Environmental Benefits of Water Cremation]
[The History of Water Cremation]
[What Happens to the Ashes?]

Research source

This page draws principally upon Georgina M. Robinson, Dying to Go Green: The Introduction of Resomation in the United Kingdom, published in Religions in 2021 by a researcher at Durham University’s Department of Theology and Religion.

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