PONTES PIONEERS
WITH AQUAMATION
FIRST PILOT PROJECT ON A NEW FUNERAL OPTION
ontes is pioneering with Belgium’s
first aquamation installation. It is a
ground-breaking pilot project carried
out with scientific institutions to assess
whether aquamation can become
a fully-fledged third funeral option
alongside burial and cremation.
Although internationally the term ‘resomation’
is also frequently used, Pontes prefers to use
the term ‘aquamation’ because it more clearly
reflects the nature of the process and is therefore
more accessible.
“Aquamation represents a new step in the evolution
of funeral care,” says Tom Wustenberghs, General
Manager of Pontes. “We want to offer families
a third option. Aquamation can be a gentler
alternative: no fire, no earth, but a serene and
innovative method of saying farewell. Aquamation
is not a replacement for burial or cremation but
a fully-fledged addition. As a pioneer in Belgium,
Pontes aims to lead the way.”
The process behind aquamation is called alkaline
hydrolysis. The body is placed in a sealed cylinder
filled with warm water and potassium hydroxide.
Under high pressure and a temperature of 150
to 160 degrees Celsius, the body breaks down
naturally. After four hours, a porous bone
structure remains which, as in cremation, is
ground into ashes and given to the next of kin.
For families, the way in which they say goodbye
to their loved ones changes little.
Start of a unique pilot project
“The system has been technically tested abroad but
in Flanders we still wish to proceed with caution,”
says Tom Wustenberghs. The delivery of the
installation in Antwerp in October 2025 marked
the beginning of a series of pilot aquamations
in collaboration with researchers and experts
from the Universities of Leuven and Antwerp,
VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research),
VMM (Flemish Environmental Organisation) and
Aquafin (Flemish wastewater company). The entire
process is tested and further optimised using
bodies donated to science. The researchers will
document the impact in detail: from medical safety
to the substances that remain afterwards and the
responsible way in which the residual liquid, the
effluent, can be processed.
First test aquamations
yield positive results
The first test aquamations in Pontes’s pilot project
were carried out in the spring of 2026 and have
produced promising results. The University of
Antwerp examined the residual liquid remaining
after aquamation and established that it is readily
biodegradable. Also, no human DNA was detected in
the residual liquid. The pilot project thereby provides
an important initial scientific basis for aquamation
as a potential additional funeral method in Flanders.
The test aquamations took place at Pontes in
Antwerp, under the supervision of experts from
the Scottish company Resomation®, which builds
the aquamation equipment. “These initial results are
important, because they help us provide a scientific basis
for aquamation,” says Tom Wustenberghs. “For us, a
new funeral method is only possible if it can be carried
out correctly, respectfully and responsibly. That is why
we want to carefully examine every part of the process.”
Residual liquid readily biodegradable
An important focus of the pilot project is the composition
and destination of the residual liquid that remains
after aquamation. “The data demonstrate that the
residual liquid is readily biodegradable,” says researcher
One in five people in Flanders
would consider aquamation
if the method were legally
permitted.
THANOS MAGAZINE | No. 115 – 3/2026
PROMOTIONAL ARTICLE / MEMBERS’ NEWS