The latest innovation in cremation is a process of alkaline hydrolysis, sometimes called resomation or aquamation. The process was developed in the United States in the late 1990s. The Cremation Association of North America describes the process as "a water-based dissolution process for human remains that uses alkaline chemicals, heat, and sometimes agitation and-or pressure, to accelerate natural decomposition."
Compared with traditional cremation, this process uses less energy and releases no carbon and no matter into the atmosphere. Not all regions have made the legislative changes required for funeral homes to offer this service to families, and the equipment costs are more than a conventional retort. Both factors currently reduce the availability of resomation cremation services.
