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Water Cremation – Where Does It Go?

Water cremation doesn’t release smoke into the air, but the liquid does need to be disposed of somehow. Learn where the solution goes after a water cremation.
Water treatment facility
Aerial view of big water treatment facility.

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Even though water cremation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis or aquamation, has been used at medical research centers for decades and was first invented over 135 years ago, the practice is still a relatively new disposition option for the general public. People have a lot of questions about the process, especially about the liquid solution before, during and after the cremation. 

One thing they want to know is after a water cremation is complete, where does the solution go?

What’s in the Alkaline Hydrolysis Solution 

Before going into detail about where the water cremation solution goes, it helps to have an understanding of what’s in the solution, which affects how it is handled. Water cremation works by dissolving body tissue using a water-based solution, pressure, and heat instead of incineration. The solution that’s put inside the stainless steel water cremation chamber is 95% water and 5% sodium hydroxide. 

Sodium hydroxide is better known as lye. It’s a corrosive, solid white powdery compound that’s often used in soaps and cleaners. But the sodium hydroxide is a very low concentration. The alkaline hydrolysis solution is safe for cremation workers to handle and work around.

Depending on the temperature, it takes anywhere from 4 to 16 hours for the solution to complete a water cremation. What remains are the bones of the deceased and the solution, which isn’t the same as before. After the water cremation the solution will contain: 

  • Water
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Amino Acids
  • Peptides
  • Fats

At the end of the process, the solution has become a sterile mixture of organic molecules that’s still just as safe as before. It’s all natural elements, and the solution doesn’t contain any DNA or pathogens. 

What Happens to the Post-Cremation Solution

After the water cremation is complete the bones and any implants or medical devices will be removed from the solution. The bones will be pulverized, prepared and given to the family just as with a flame cremation

At that point, the water cremation solution is often poured down the drain at the cremation facility. That’s right. The post-cremation solution goes down the drain with no special treatment needed in many jurisdictions. 

Once it’s down the drain, the water cremation solution goes to the local wastewater treatment facility. If you live in a city where there is a medical school there’s a good chance your wastewater treatment facility has been processing the solution for years. Medical schools like the University of Florida and Albany Medical College use water cremation as the disposition method for people who donated their bodies to science. 

Can Alkaline Hydrolysis Solution Be Safely Put Down the Drain?

Water cremation critics often use the disposal of alkaline hydrolysis solution as reasoning for why the practice shouldn’t be allowed. They question the safety of putting the solution down the drain into the wastewater system.

Despite what some people claim, years of extensive research and the use of water cremation has proven that the water cremation solution is safe to dispose of down the drain.

Back in 2010, California actually voted down a bill that would have legalized alkaline hydrolysis. Why? Lawmakers stated there wasn’t enough information about the safety of the “liquid waste”, how it would be disposed of and if the current infrastructure could support it. Obviously the data was favorable since California went on to legalize water cremation in 2017.

Studies show that the alkaline hydrolysis solution sterilizes the organic material in the mixture, so there’s no concern of spreading disease. Even toxic substances like embalming fluid can be neutralized during the water cremation process. What does actually pose a real threat to soil and groundwater is embalming fluid after traditional burial. It can leach out of the body and casket, tainting the soil around the grave. 

What about the sewer system? Can the infrastructure handle alkaline hydrolysis solution? States and cities set standards for the pH level of what can legally be put down the drain. The first water cremation machines used by medical facilities in the early 1990s produced a solution with a pH level that would exceed the maximum in some areas. However, newer machines can lower the pH level of the solution by adding in an acid or infusing the solution with carbon dioxide. 

Water Cremation Solution Disposal Permits and Biohazard Disposal

Most of the time water cremation solution can be poured down the drain with no special requirements. But that’s not always the case since disposition and waste removal is regulated on the local level. Every jurisdiction is going to come up with their own rules and regulations for handling water cremation solution. 

In some jurisdictions, crematoriums must receive a permit to dispose of solution down the drain to ensure safety. The local regulatory body wants to make sure that the procedure is happening as expected and nothing else is going down the drain. 

But what if a jurisdiction simply won’t allow for disposal down the drain? Or a crematorium has no efficient way of disposing of the solution? 

There’s still another option. The alternative is paying a biohazard waste disposal company to handle the remaining solution. The company has a special license and trained waste removal experts that take extra precaution handling materials with biological matter. They come to the site, remove the waste material and bring it to a medical waste treatment facility. There the materials are sterilized before being brought to the landfill. 

Water cremation is actually safer than flame-based cremation in one key regard – there’s no concern over pollutants. Although some medical devices and implants are removed prior to flame cremation, not everything is. Any devices, implants or outside materials like tooth fillings are incinerated and can create air toxins. With alkaline hydrolysis everything is separated out during the cremation and isn’t disposed of with the solution. Any medical devices or implants will be treated as biohazardous waste and safely disposed of.

The practice of water cremation is a matter of safety for people and the planet. The practice is proving to be far superior to traditional disposition options, and it’s becoming more popular as more people realize how safe water cremation truly is.


Do you have other questions about how water cremation works? At Green Cremation Texas we’re experts that understand the process and can provide answers. Give us a call, text, or email any time or day of the week.

Marlaena Gonzales

Marlaena Gonzales

Funeral Director
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