This is how aquamarine works, a process different from incineration

(CNN) – Relatives gathered to say goodbye Desmond Tutu, The man of the struggle against apartheid, was buried in Cape Town at a private funeral at St. George’s Cathedral.

At his request, the body of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was cremated – considered a green alternative to cremation – South Africa’s Anglican Church confirmed to CNN on Saturday.

Desmond Tutu Selected Process, What is Aquamation?

Aquamation is a water-based process whose scientific name is “alkaline hydrolysis”, an American bio-response solution that specializes in the process of “a combination of gentle water flow, temperature and alkalinity used to accelerate the decomposition of organic matter” when a body stays in the soil. Company.

The company’s website states that the process “uses 90% less energy than a flame burner and does not emit harmful greenhouse gases.”

How is it done?

According to the Crimean Association of North America (CANA), an international non-profit organization, alkaline hydrolysis is sometimes referred to as flame-free combustion.

The body is placed in an alkaline hydrolysis machine, which consists of an airtight chamber filled with a solution made of water and alkaline chemicals. The room heats up, liquefies the body and leaves only the bones. According to the CANA website.

Once the bones are dry, you can grind them. “This process produces about 32% more burnt residue than Lama cremation and may require a larger casket,” CANA said.

Desmond Tutu, environmental lawyer

Tutu was an ardent defender of the environment: he gave several speeches and wrote several articles on the need for action to tackle the climate crisis.

In 2007, he wrote Article entitled “This Dangerous Satisfaction” In The Guardian, he addressed the worrying impact of climate change on the global south and poor communities, with much of North America and Europe still reeling from the extreme weather conditions caused by the climate emergency in that country.

In addition to demanding an environmentally friendly alternative to cremating his body, he took other steps to ensure that his funeral was as modest as his lifestyle: his body was placed in a simple pine coffin, which his “cheaply available” request, his foundations said.