Flame Cremation vs. Flameless Cremation:

  In Flame Cremation when something is cremated, it is burned until mainly ashes (known as cremains) remain with some larger bone material left. The term "cremate" is most commonly used to refer to the ritual burning of deceased bodies. Cremation is a Latin word that means "to burn or consume by fire." Rather than for flameless cremations for both our human and pet loved ones, alkaline hydrolysis, often known as flameless cremation, is an alternative to flame cremation. The procedure requires only a tenth of the energy required for flame cremation. We now have the possibility to provide families with another option for their loved ones' temperament. Alkaline hydrolysis (Flameless Cremation) allows families to contribute to a more gentle and environmentally friendly procedure. Families can make a long-term contribution to the environment on behalf of a loved one by making an energy-saving or pollution-reduction decision. The traditional funeral service and reburial of the cremains are unaffected.

What are the mechanisms behind these?

For Flame Cremation -

The most popular method of cremation is flame-based cremation, which is offered from most funeral homes, crematories, and cemeteries. This procedure is described in detail below step by step:

Step 1 - Before being identified, the body is cleansed, cleaned, and clothed. The technician will take away any jewellery or other valuables that you want to keep. Mechanical or battery-operated medical devices and prosthetics are also removed to avoid a reaction during the cremation process.

Step 2 - There are special cremation caskets, cremation containers available, or you can utilise a plain cardboard box. A retort is a type of cremation chamber. It's a large industrial furnace that can hold one person. The chamber is lined with fire-resistant bricks. Temperatures of up to 2000 degrees can be tolerated by the bricks. Modern cremation ovens are powered by natural gas, propane, or diesel fuel and adhere to strict environmental and air quality standards.

Step 3 - The remnants are cooled after they have been incinerated. The operator looks for any metal shards that have been left behind and removes them by hand or with powerful magnets. Frequently, the metal is sent to a recycler.

Step 4 - Cremated remains are sometimes referred to as ashes, although what is truly left behind are pieces of bone. Following cremation, the shards are ground into "cremains" by a special processor. When we talk about ashes, we're referring about this.

Step 5 - The cremains are placed in a thick plastic bag after grinding. The bag is placed in an urn provided by the family or a temporary container. The family receives the urn or container containing the cremains.

From an international perspective for instance, in India, with currently one of the highest cremation rates in the world, per capita. The body is placed on top of a 'bed of logs' when it is transported to the ground for cremation. Wooden logs are laid once more, this time on the body and up. The placement of logs is stopped when it reaches two more feet in height, and the next stage is to kindle the fire. When the central half of the corpse is consumed by fire, it is sometimes necessary to perform acts of giving water to the body, which entails pouring water on the pyre.

For Flameless Cremation -

The remains are placed in an unpressurized stainless steel Alkaline Hydrolysis vessel that was particularly constructed and scientifically engineered. Warm water (not hot or boiling water) and potassium hydroxide (pH of 11) are combined and circulated around the body for 8-12 hours, leaving only the bones. A computer and an operator keep a careful eye on the process and control it. The procedure is fully risk-free, eco-friendly, and all-natural.

Advantages

Flame Cremation

Keep in mind that cremation has the advantage of being a more practical option to traditional burial. This strategy is more tempting because of concerns about cemetery land availability and prices.

1. The procedure makes efficient use of the cemetery area. A land area of 2 feet by 6 feet, for example, can store more than 10 cremated remains. Cremation also increases the amount of space available in mausoleums and columbaria, respectively.

2. Another advantage is the cost. Due to its complexity, a traditional burial ritual can be costly. Aside from the grave plot, expenses included the purchase of the casket, funeral director service fees, grave preparation, and headstone purchase, etc.

3. It also makes the funeral process easier. Embalming, permits, transportation, and preparations all add to the complexity of traditional burial. Without any form of service, the deceased may be cremated as soon as it is legally possible.

4.Cremated remains can also be transported. It is easier to transfer cremated remains to their last resting place or to retrieve the urn for relocation than it is to transport casketed remains.

5. It's worth noting that cremated remains can be further memorialized. Some businesses provide services for turning these relics into synthetic or lab-grown diamonds. Or, fused into glass art, or shot into space and deployed!

Flameless Cremation

Water cremation, aquamation, bio-cremation, resomation, and flameless cremation are all terms used to describe the process. Flame cremation and, of course, traditional burial have both been pushed as better, greener, and more cost-effective alternatives.

1. In comparison to incineration, the energy usage is lower. According to estimates, it only requires about one-twelve times the energy of flame cremation.

2. It also has some of the benefits of incinerator disposal, especially when contrasted to traditional burial or entombment.

3. Costs associated with funeral services and owning or renting a plot of land, as well as contamination from embalming chemicals, are all downsides of entombment.

4. Water cremation is also more cost-effective than flame cremation because it uses less energy and does not require costly funeral or burial services.

5. The procedure also produces whiter bone fragments. The colour of the bones changes after they are incinerated. Alkaline hydrolysis does not need the removal of medical implants.

6. It also leaves behind a non-toxic liquid solution made up of peptides, amino acids, and sugar. It can be further processed and disposed of without causing an environmental impact.

Disadvantages

Flame Cremation

Despite its ease and practicality, cremation has a number of drawbacks and restrictions. Other ways for disposing of a deceased person have emerged, which offer similar benefits while avoiding the drawbacks.

1. Before the deceased is cremated, any implanted devices must be removed. When pacemakers and other medical equipment are exposed to excessive heat, they can explode in a deadly manner.

2. The procedure is still harmful to the environment. It normally consumes 110 liters of fuel and emits 240 kg of carbon dioxide. Cremating one million bodies would emit 270,000 tonnes of CO2, which is equivalent to the CO2 emissions produced annually by 22,000 ordinary American homes.

3. Water cremation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, is becoming a more common and superior alternative to flame cremation. It entails placing the person in a pressure vessel filled with a solution of potassium hydroxide and water.

Flameless Cremation

Despite its apparent benefits as a better option to flame cremation and the respective inurnment, alkaline hydrolysis is still mostly unpopular because of religious and legal opposition, as well as a lack of public awareness.

1. Because it is essentially the liquified organs and tissues of the deceased, some individuals find the green-brown tinged liquid solution different to comprehend to what they are used to seeing with flame cremated remains.

2. Others are offended by the concept of using the liquified result as fertilizer or shipping it to a sewer treatment plant.

3. Other religious and civic organizations are adamant about the process. They say that it does not go far enough in demonstrating respect for the human body's holiness.

4. Several jurisdictions in the United States and other nations do not have legislation allowing for body disposal using alkaline hydrolysis, making it both unlawful and unavailable.

5. Service providers may still find it undesirable to open a water cremation business. A single chamber costs anywhere from $ 90,000 to $ 450,000.

6. Due to restricted supply, it costs more than the same as flame cremation. Commercialization would lower the price even more.

To conclude, Flameless cremation is a green burial option, with a smaller carbon footprint, and a long-term alternative to standard embalming techniques and flame cremation. Concerns about the safety of dumping flameless-cremation effluent into the municipal water system, as well as a lack of regard for the human body, have been raised by critics. Because it's such a new method that's employed in a few states, the long-term impact on pollution or public health is undetermined.

Flameless methods are continuing to evolve with acceptance in time to be expected in some form.