What is resembling?
Resembling the body is done by a chemical process. Through this process, the deceased person is decomposed in a pressure vessel made of steel. For this chemical process, a substance with a high pH value is used. In most cases, this is potassium hydroxide dissolved in hot water. Resomination is therefore, so to speak, an alternative method to burial or cremation of the deceased. Sometimes resomination is also called alkalined hydrolysis, bio-creaming or aquamating. The word resomer comes from “resoma” in Greek, which means “rebirth of the body.
How does resembling work?
A funeral in which the deceased is resurrected proceeds in the same manner as any other funeral. Only the last step is different. This is because the body is decomposed through the use of alkaline hydrolysis instead of being buried or burned.
It is good to know that the body can only be laid in a wool or linen wade. Thus, during resembling, there is no use of a casket or burial board. The cabin door is opened, the body is placed, and the room and vessel are sealed. The body is then weighed by sensors and it is calculated how much water and base will be needed to resurrect the body.
After the preparation, alkaline hydrolysis follows: in this process, a certain amount of a base and water is introduced into the of steel vessel. The vessel is then put under high pressure and the liquids are mixed by a pump. The temperature is between 100 and 180°C. The chemicals cause the body to decompose, and the organic substances that were in the body are absorbed into the liquid.
The cabin is then emptied leaving only bones of the deceased and a sterile water-like fluid. The liquid is purified in a water treatment plant and flows back into the water cycle. The residue is dried and ground into a white powder. The powder can be kept in a self-selected urn or scattered.
The whole process takes 3 to 4 hours, with most of the time spent dissolving the body.
Sustainability
This process is more sustainable than burying or cremating a deceased person. Resembling releases fewer greenhouse gases and particulate matter, Also, no coffin or burial board is lost.
You can see more information about resembling in the NOS video on this page.