What Is Water Cremation (Alkaline Hydrolysis), and How Is It Different From Flame Cremation?

Water cremation goes by several names: alkaline hydrolysis (the technical term), aquamation, flameless cremation, biocremation, and Resomation (a brand name). The result for the family is similar to flame cremation: they receive cremated remains. How it gets there is different. This guide explains how, which states permit it, and why that’s not the same as being able to arrange it.

State law changes quickly. This guide is dated October 7, 2026.

How does it work?

The Cremation Association of North America (CANA), an industry association, describes alkaline hydrolysis this way: it uses water, alkaline chemicals, heat, and sometimes pressure and agitation to accelerate natural decomposition, leaving bone fragments and a neutral liquid called effluent. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) describes the chemicals as water and potassium hydroxide.

Details from CANA:

• The body is placed in a single sealed, watertight chamber that holds about 100 gallons of liquid
• The contents may be heated to between 199 and 302°F, with pressure or agitation depending on the equipment
• The process takes three to sixteen hours, depending on equipment and body mass
• The remaining bone fragments appear white; because the process uses water, they are dried before being ground
• The process produces about 32% more cremated remains than flame cremation, so a larger urn may be needed
• Pacemakers and other implants that can’t be exposed to flame generally don’t need to be removed first, except where law requires

What happens to the liquid?

CANA says the effluent is sterile and contains salts, sugars, amino acids, and peptides, with no tissue and no DNA left. It is released to the local wastewater treatment authority in accordance with federal, state, and local laws, and CANA says in some cases it is diverted for fertilizer use. The association describes the effluent as “far cleaner than most wastewater,” which is the industry’s characterization; wastewater rules are set locally.

How is it different from flame cremation?

	Flame cremation	Water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis)
How it works	Intense heat and flame	Water, alkaline chemicals, heat, and sometimes pressure
Time	Typically hours	About 3 to 16 hours
What the family receives	Cremated remains	Cremated remains, about 32% more by volume
Byproducts	Gases released to air, filtered in modern crematories	A sterile liquid sent to wastewater
Legal in	Nearly universally available	26 states per CANA (March 2026)
Energy and emissions	Higher	Lower according to NFDA and CANA; estimates vary widely

On the environment, NFDA says alkaline hydrolysis uses less energy and emits fewer greenhouse gases than flame-based cremation, and CANA says it has an overall lower carbon footprint. The Green Burial Council, which promotes full-body burial, takes a different view: it doesn’t set standards for flame cremation, water cremation, or composting, and says these reduction processes use non-renewable resources and have some negative environmental impacts. A sustainability reporter wrote that, depending on the machine, alkaline hydrolysis produces between one-tenth and one-twelfth of the carbon emissions of a fire crematorium, and also that it accounts for only about 1 percent of cremations. We’ve found no single neutral figure; see the plain comparison.

Where is it legal?

CANA lists 26 states where alkaline hydrolysis is legal, as of March 2026:

Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Why other counts differ. Some news reports have said it is legal in 28 or 29 states. We use CANA’s named list and flag the disagreement. Counts may differ because of timing, because states use different legal terms for the process (CANA says they use terms such as alkaline hydrolysis, cremation, chemical disposition, or dissolution), or because of differing interpretations. Confirm with CANA, the NFDA’s state-by-state chart, or your state’s funeral board. You can also check your state with our interactive tool.

Legal doesn’t mean available

CANA is direct about this: legalization doesn’t mean the process is publicly or readily available. It says some states, despite legalization, lack an operating provider, and that there are only about thirty practitioners nationwide. In those cases, the nearest provider may be in a neighboring state, and CANA says families can work directly with that facility or have a local funeral home arrange the transfer and return the cremated remains locally. See can a body be moved to another state. Costs vary by state, so ask for an itemized quote.

Is it legal in Texas?

No. Here is what we could verify from the record:

• The statute. Texas law defines cremation without including alkaline hydrolysis. The Houston Chronicle reported that state law doesn’t include it in the definition of cremation
• Enforcement. The Texas Funeral Service Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to a North Texas health science center’s body-donation program that had used the process. The Commission’s executive director said state law supersedes an administrative rule that appeared to allow it, and that the Commission planned to propose repealing that rule. A funeral-industry guide also cites a March 14, 2025 Commission notice calling it an “absolute ban”
• Bills. Bills to add alkaline hydrolysis to the definition of cremation were filed in 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2025. SB 1327 (2025) was referred to committee on February 28, 2025 and died on June 2, 2025
• Opposition. The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has opposed legalization

At least one website claims alkaline hydrolysis became legal in Texas by 2026. We found no legislation or Commission action supporting that, and the Legislature’s own bill records show the last bill died. Texas families who want it can look to facilities in other states.

What about faith and ethics?

Some faith groups object; see what different faiths say about composting and water cremation. Others see it as a gentler option; CANA lists reasons people choose it, including that some people find it gentler or are afraid of fire.

Add this to your Final Day Plan: whether you’d choose water cremation if available, and a backup if it isn’t where you live.

This is general information, dated October 7, 2026, and not legal advice. State laws and facility availability change; confirm with your state funeral board or a licensed funeral director.