Alkaline Hydrolysis

Who patented AH?

Amos Herbert Hobson of Middlesex, England

When was AH patented?

December 25, 1888

Why was AH created?

Amos Herbert Hobson was looking to find a way to extract nitrogenous materials from the bones of farm animals to make a suitable fertilizer and byproducts

What did Dr. Gordon I. Kaye and Dr. Peter B. Weber discover in the early 1990s?

They recognized that research animals with low level radioisotopes could be legally disposed of by sending them down the drain, if they were in liquid form. Instead of the costly methods they were using.

What company did Dr. Kaye and Dr. Weber, along with business partner David Lovenheim form?

The company WR2

• They filed for a patent

• Their patent was granted in July 1994

Where was the first AH unit installed?

at Albany Medical College

Who purchased the first commercial system for disposal of human remains donated for medical science?

Shands Hospital and the University of Florida ( Florida State Anatomical Board)

What are some other institutions that AH units were sold to early on?

• Units were sold to SmithKline Beecham in France and Pennsylvania

• A large unit (3000lb capacity) was sold to the University Of Florida Veterinary Diagnostic Program

Who conducted research before Dr. Kaye and Dr. Weber?

Dr. F. Taguchi

What did Dr. F. Taguchi discover?

• He discovered that the causative agent of Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease could be inactivated by soaking in a hot alkali solution.

• His findings were published in 1990 in the “Archives of Virology”

What did Dr. David Taylor discover?

• His work (still considered one of the most thorough works completed on the subject) concluded that the use of hot alkali is the most effective way of inactivating prions.

• The BSE outbreak in the UK in 1995 accelerated the Drs work

From 1998 to 2006 more than _________________ (AH machines) were sold and installed by WR2

75 tissue digesters

In what year was WR2 was contracted to build a single body system for The Mayo Clinic to replace their aging cremator?

In 2005

What was the first single body AH unit put into commercial operation?

The Mayo clinic AH machine

When did WR2 succumb to financial difficulties?

In 2006

Who is Sandy Sullivan?

A woman who had led WR2’s European Subsidiary that formed Resomation LTD in 2007

• Resomation LTD. specializes in high temperature, pressurized systems

Who formed Bio-Response Solutions?

Joseph Wilson, who had been the President of WR2 in late 2006

• Bio-Response Solutions manufactures high temp, as well as low temp systems (low temp has been proven to provide the same results, but require additional time)

Where was the first pet AH system placed, who placed it, and what year?

At a crematory in Ohio by BioResponse in 2008

Where was the first AH system for funerary uses placed, who placed it, and what year?

In Edwards Funeral Home in Columbus OH, through a third-party sale BioResponse Systems placed it, and in late January 2011

What happened in march of 2011 concerning AH in Ohio?

The Ohio Department of Health stopped issuing permits for alkaline hydrolysis, pending regulatory review.

How does the state of AH in Ohio look now?

Regulatory review is still pending in Ohio

AH is the same process as what?

the same process that breaks down a body when buried

At what PH do enzymes in the small intestine begin the process to break down the body at body temperature (at the time of death)?

7-8 pH

What pH is used in a controlled AH environment (specially designed AH machine)?

14 pH

What can expedite the AH process?

heat and pressure

What kind of process is AH?

A reductive one

What happens during AH at a molecular level?

• Tissues are reduced to their basic building blocks

• Proteins are hydrolysed to amino acids and peptides by breaking peptide bonds

• Carbohydrates are clipped from glycolipids

• Ester bonds between glycerol and fatty acids are clipped, leaving biodegradable soaps

• Phosphodiester bonds within nucleic acids are hydrolyzed

All pathogens, including prions are destroyed in AH

true

What does AH also destroy/neutralize besides pathogens?

AH converts fixatives (formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde), cytotoxic agents (chemotherapy drugs), and other toxins to harmless biodegradable derivatives

What is NOT dissolved during AH?

Bones and teeth, made primarily of calcium phosphate

What happens to all the reduced tissues after AH?

All the reduced tissues are left in a solution of peptides, amino acids, salts, soaps, and sugars that is of a low enough pH (according to the EPA) to be released into sanitary sewer, dehydrated for landfill, or use as fertilizer.

What are the two most common alkalis used in AH?

potassium hydroxide (KOH), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH)

• The most satisfactory results are usually obtained by a combination of both

How does temperature and pressure correlate during AH?

• AH can take place at almost any temperature and have the same result.

• At room temperature the process could take as long as 6 weeks or more

• At 200°F, the process takes approximately 16hrs without agitation and 12hrs with agitation

• Temperatures above 212°F will produce pressure

  • At 250°F the process can be reduced to approximately 8hr turnaround time

    • With approximately 25PSI within the vessel

  • At 300°F, a 6hr turnaround with approximately 65PSI within the vessel can be expected

  • At 350°F, a 4hr turnaround with pressure over 100PSI can be expected

• High temp/pressurized systems require an ASME (or EU) certified pressure vessel

What are the perceived benefits of AH?

• Uses less hydrocarbon-based fuel than cremation

• No need to remove pacemakers or other medical devices/implants

• There is zero chance of mercury being released into the atmosphere

What are some considerations for AH?

Enclosing the body for Alkaline Hydrolysis

• Plant based fibers will not be reduced by this process

• We can’t use wood, cardboard, cotton, linen, etc.

• We can use wool or silk

Where is AH available in the US?

There are currently 24 states where alkaline hydrolysis is legal for human disposition

• Currently there are only 10 states where it is being practiced

  • With approximately 35 AH units in operation