Just a day after Christmas 2021, the planet was devastated by the news that the great Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu had passed away. The theologian was among the greatest minds ever to exist in history, supporting the opposition against the barbaric and diabolical implementation of apartheid in South Africa during his age.
Desmond Tutu was known as the personality that took every chance he could get to oppose and destroy the massive segregation of the white minority and the natives of the country. Desmond Tutu's projects and continuous insights remained active until he reached 79.
Desmond Tutu Chose Flameless, Green Alternative of Cremation
Last year, the archbishop offered just a bit more of his care to humanity by choosing aquamation instead of other burial methods upon his departure. Aquamation is a new, feasible approach to a funeral that offers the most eco-friendly potential above others, making the remains of a person disintegrate not with fire but with liquid compositions.
According to a report by News24, experts from the Archbishop Tutu IP Trust and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said that the theologian presented a very clear instruction for his funeral whenever the time comes. In addition, Desmond Tutu prohibited any of his group from spending much on the ceremonies that would be held. He specifically ordered to lay his remains in the cheapest coffin available and that the only flowers which will be set in the cathedral be the carnations from his family only.
In the scientific community, aquamation is considered the same as biocremation. Other labels that the approach includes flameless cremation, resomation, and water cremation. During the process, the remains are applied with alkaline hydrolysis, an effective method that could break down the bodies of both humans and animals in an instant. The eco-friendly cremation heavily relies on the capacity of a heated alkaline solution, which dissolves the flesh and leaves the skeletal remains intact.
What is Aquamation?
Aquamation uses an advanced pressurized vessel that contains a mixture of components such as water and potassium hydroxide. The mixture's temperature is then elevated between 90 to 150 degrees Celsius, making all the solutions interact well. The liquids inside the vessel do not boil due to the pressurized environment kept inside.
Cremation has been among the most typical form of burial alongside the traditional burial approach. However, it uses excessive resources that may not become available in the near future. In the United States, the traditional practice requires over 1 million acres of land for burial only. Meanwhile, the coffins made out of wood are extracted from forest trees that cover over 1.6 million hectares of land each year.
Cremation was supposed to help ease the issue over the degradation of land, but with the intense usage of fuels, carbon dioxide, PM 10, and PM 2.5 are being emitted uncontrollably. Aquamation, on the other hand, uses just a seventh of the total energy relayed in cremation. The best part is that it does not produce any intense emissions that could harm the health of people and the planet. According to a report by IFL Science, leftovers of aquamation are only basic compounds such as amino acids and salts that could be mixed with fertilizers, or if neutralized, be released through waterways.
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